ARGENTINA’s secretary of transport, Luis Octavio Pierrini, has extended Ferrosur Roca’s concession to operate the 1676mm-gauge General Roca freight railway by one year, taking its expiry to September 2026.
The short-term renewal highlights the government’s need for additional time to finalise its wider rail sector reforms and new public–private partnership (PPP) framework. According to the Ministry of Economy, the extension is intended to avoid “disruption in the logistics of essential freight transport and reduce risks for the agricultural and industrial supply chain.”
Resolution 52/2025, published in the Official Gazette, emphasises that the measure is being adopted to ensure continuity of service, while work advances on the development of a new contractual framework between the state and the private sector, which will provide longer terms.
The 237.2km General Roca Railway runs from Constitución station in Buenos Aires to the south of the country through the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Neuquén and Río Negro. As well as Ferrosur Roca, the infrastructure is used by Argentina Trains suburban services in Buenos Aires.
The General Roca extension follows the government’s decision earlier this year to prolong Nuevo Central Argentino’s (NCA) concession for the Mitre network north of Buenos Aires. Together, these moves reflect a cautious approach as Argentina balances the need for immediate operational stability with its broader ambitions to modernise rail freight operations through deeper private-sector involvement.
