Talca to Constitucion Branch Railway

The branch from Talca to Constitucion opened in 1915 on metre gauge and is the only narrow-gauge line still carrying passengers in Chile, running about 88 kilometres down the Maule valley in a single diesel railcar - the buscarril - and taking around three hours. It is not a tourist train: it is the transport for the small settlements along the valley, several of which have no road, and it stops at halts and wherever someone flags it down. Rolling stock has been elderly for decades and the line's closure has been proposed repeatedly, kept running because the communities along it depend on it.

What you actually see

• The last narrow-gauge passenger line - metre gauge, opened 1915.
• A single railcar down the valley - about three hours over 88 kilometres.
• Stops on request - settlements along the route, some with no road.
• A line repeatedly threatened - kept for the communities it serves.

When to go

Year round; check the current timetable, which has changed often. A full day.

Honest expectations

Services are infrequent and have been suspended for periods for track work and equipment problems - confirm before travelling. The railcar is basic and can be full. Timings are approximate. This is local transport with a view, not an excursion train.

Nearby

Constitucion and the coast are at the western end; Talca is inland.