I think everyone is missing the point on the rebuilding of Ecuadors Railways. Everyone is looking at it from the viewpoint of someone outside the country who wants either a nice scenic vintage railroad a la Durango and Silverton or for that matter any railroad.
The Ecuador viewpoint is totally different. The railroad is being rebuilt, not for tourists, but to provide a transportation system for the country. It is difficult for people in the U.S. particularly, to understand the use of rail for everyday transport but in Ecuador this railway is vital for local transportation. The fact that tourists use it in larger numbers is incidental to the primary purpose.
The first thing therefore is the rebuilding of the roadbed and this is almost complete. Initially Guayaquil (Duran) to Quito was the target and this is to be followed by Ibarra to San Lorenzo which is container gauge. Obviously, the long term plan is to rebuild Quito to Ibarra which would once again restore the original system but this is going to take, in my opinion, five to ten years at least.
This then brings up the question of equipment. Obviously, the tourist loves the vintage equipment plus the roof rides but if Amtrak provided this kind of equipment on the northeast corridor, there would, be a few complaints, to put it mildly! One must remember that in Ecuador it can and does rain considerably and locals are not too impressed on sitting on a wet roof in the pouring rain with their bottoms being adapted to the shape of corrugated iron sheeting! They expect from their transportation system an enclosed coach train with two classes and comfortable seating, preferably with either a food trolley or dining car and air conditioning as it gets up to 130 degrees in that neck of the woods. Just a little bit like every other corner of the world!
Hence the logic on the new equipment. While it appears to be designed for tourists this suggestion implies that locals can be given any rubbish that lies around which is kind of an insult. President Correa has decided – and rightly in my opinion – that Ecuadorians are entitled to the same standard of comfort on their railway as almost any civilised country in the world. I repeat that this new railway is not designed for tourists but for the locals for transport and hopefully freight. Unlike the U.S. where there are good roads everywhere the railroad serves communities with little or no roads and is therefore vital for local transportation. It is very difficult for people from the U.S. to understand that the rest of the world regards rail transport as an essential part of civilisation. New York to Chicago should take four hours by rail and Chicago to Des Moines two! Instead the largest and most arguably advanced nation in the world has some thirty long distance trains per day. Czech Republic has 2,500! Maybe the U.S. passenger long distance system needs the Ecuador treatment i.e. a complete rebuild! There is no reason why Chicago to Los Angeles should take more than twelve hours!
As for the steam, there are two locos operational and two more available shortly but is anyone seriously suggesting that the normal passenger services should be steam hauled? Steam will be available for tourists in 2013 but it is not top priority. Top priority is getting an almost defunct transport system operating again. Steam will be used for tours and charters. Apart from special occasions it will be the preserve of the tour operators who will be made really welcome.
I hope this clears up some of the misconceptions on what is happening in Ecuador. If anyone wants to save the vintage equipment I am sure they can purchase it and store it there and use it when they go there but you cannot run a railroad with one hundred year old equipment. And at the end of the day this rebuild will keep it alive for another hundred years which is what we all want.
Michael Grimes
