TecnoTren is an Argentine manufacturer of railbuses. Its products are designed to be very low-cost vehicles intended for use in rural parts of the country where railway privatisation and the subsequent deterioration of the network left small rural villages isolated.
Overview
The TecnoTren units use readily available parts from the Argentine automotive industry, with the 1.7 litre engine being from a Fiat Duna, which doesn't necessarily have to be new.[3] This makes them extremely economical both in price per unit and with regards to its fuel consumption, as well as maintenance costs.[4] As a result, the railbuses are ideal for low-traffic rural lines while being easily adapted to the country's three primary track gauges.[5]
The light weight of the units, as well as their low maximum speed, also mean that they can be used on tracks in very poor condition, making them well suited to parts of the country which have no current plans for track replacement under the recent modernisation efforts following renationalisation.[6]