BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA

MINISTRY OF POPULAR POWER FOR EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF AGRO INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION TRAINING PROJECT
CIVIL

HISTORY OF THE RAILWAY

AUTHOR:
TSU Figueredo A. Diana C.
IC 18.543.240
TEACHER:
Eng. Rodriguez Licinio
STD4A

San Cristobal, April 2020

 INTRODUCTION.
The history of modern trains spans the range of the last two hundred years of
modern human civilization, which at the time used this incredible discovery to
dramatically change industry, human expansion, and the way we travel on a daily
basis.
There is no doubt that, from the first time the steam train passed over the
railways of industrial England in the early 19th century to modern times, when
bullet trains carry thousands of passengers at incredible speeds and freight trains
carry a large amount of the world's goods, trains allowed civilizations to develop
with unexpected consequences that not even their creators could have imagined.
In such a way that today, trains are used in various ways: from small urban
trams, electric metro trains, distance trains (equipped with dining and sleeping cars
for longer trips), freight trains, to bullet trains. high-speed vehicles that can reach
speeds of 300-500 kilometers per hour. However, its history began with much
simpler and slower designs. Even before steam engines arrived, the ancient
civilizations of Greece and Egypt and industrial Europe (1600-1800) used horses
as primary sources for driving simple railroad cars.

HISTORY OF THE RAILWAY IN VENEZUELA AND THE WORLD

According to some historians, it is known that in the year 1827, a meeting
was held in Caracas to talk about Railways, important engineers met in our city;
Among them were Richard Trevithick, builder of the first English rail locomotive,
and Robert Stephenson. At that time, this idea was very attractive to some foreign
countries, who would provide most of the capital necessary to undertake the
project; since the Venezuelan economy could not cover the financial magnitude
involved in the construction of a railway. Engineer George Stephenson, an English
engineer, was in our country in the 1830s carrying out a study for the construction
of a railway system between Caracas and Guaira.
In 1854 José Tadeo Monagas issued a decree in which he supported the
project that would lead to the signing of a contract in 1856. It was then in 1867 that
a definitive contract was signed in the United States that contemplated the
approval of the project. The work was carried out by Engineer William Anderson
Pile, who established a company: The La Guaira and Caracas Railway CO.LTD. In
1873 the final route of the Railway that would cover the Caracas-La Guaira route
was decided. The project is inaugurated to commemorate the centenary of the birth
of the Liberator Simón Bolívar; “The Centennial is the Railway” this phrase was
heard from word of mouth. This train was electrified in 1933, when new
locomotives were incorporated into the project.
The Great Railway of Venezuela or German Railway was the largest railway
system built in the country to date, covering the Caracas - Valencia route. Its
construction began, like the English Railway, with a concession from President
Antonio Guzmán Blanco granted to Friedrich Alfred Krupp in 1887, which was
transferred the following year to the anonymous company “Grosse Venezuela
Eisnbahn Gesellschafts” whose only capitalists were the Disconto-Gesellschafts. of
Berlin and the Norddeusche Bank of Hamburg.
However, after 6 years of work it was finally inaugurated on February 1, 1894
during the second presidential term of Joaquín Crespo. In 1873, General Antonio
Guzmán Blanco decreed that year “The Era of the Iron Horse” and put into
execution the railway that would cover the route between Tucacas and the mines
of Aroa (Edo Falcón and Yaracuy). Due to mining and commercial needs, in 1873
the English company “Bolívar Railway Company” was granted the construction of
the Bolívar Railway that would travel between the port of Tucacas and the Aroa
mines for the exploitation of the copper mines and the transportation of the mineral,
as well as the transportation of coffee, cocoa and other agricultural products from
the region.
In 1880, construction work began on the Ceiba Railway to Sabana de
Mendoza (Edo Trujillo).
In 1886 the Caracas-Petare section was inaugurated, which was extended in
1910 to Santa Lucia.
In 1891, the section that would cover the route between Caracas and Los
Teques was launched.
In 1893 the train reached the Council and later to Victoria and Valencia.
Between 1885 and 1910 a series of events occurred whose impact was
considerable on the Railway project; The concessionaire goes bankrupt, however
14 tunnels are built between Petare and Santa Lucia (Edo Miranda).
In 1886, the line that goes from La Ceiba to Motatán was completed, and
communicated with Valera (Edo Trujillo), in that same year a train was built
between Santa Bárbara and El Vigía (Edo Zulia and Mérida).
In 1899 the line that goes from Carenero to Río Chico and El Guapo was
completed. The concession was run by the company The Carenero Railway and
Navigation CO.LTD.
The train that goes to La Fría, passing through Guayabo (Edo Táchira),
departs from the Port of Contrados in 1895.
In 1891, during the government of Andueza Palacio, the Barquisimeto – La
Luz (Edo Lara) train was inaugurated.
In 1905, the National Government hired an English company to operate
electric trams, marking the beginning of electrification systems for transportation in
Venezuela.
The Macuto Railway was conceived as an extension of the Caracas-La
Guaira and was completed in 1885, with an 8-kilometer track.
The La Vela-Coro National Railway (1897 – 1938), covers 12.5 km, being the
shortest railway in the country (Edo Falcón).
 In 1920, 2.5% of the active population worked for the railroads throughout
Venezuela.
However, on January 2, 1922, when the train was already electric, it derailed,
suffering its first accident. This Railway disappeared in 1925, after the death of
General Juan Vicente Gómez. Finally, the railway systems were closed, due to the
focus on the creation of streets and highways for the growing automobile fleet in
the country.
By the end of 1939, Venezuela had 1,040 km of railway. The lines proposed
for the time were:
▲ Caracas – La Guaira Railway. L= 36.50 km
▲ Great Railway of Venezuela (Caracas – Valencia) L= 178.90 km
▲ Great Táchira Railway (La Fría – found) L= 120 km
▲ Great Railway of La Ceiba (La Ceiba – Motatán) L= 81.36 km
▲ Carenero Railway (Carenero – El Guapo) L= 54.50 km
▲ Santa Bárbara – El Vigía Railway. L= 65 km
▲ Puerto Cabello-Valencia Railway. L= 54.75 km
▲ Coro – La Vela Railway. L= 12.5 km
The aforementioned routes, which gave Venezuela first place in the Latin
American congress, disappeared. The creation of the State Railway Institute (IFE)
was decreed, which was entrusted with the task of preserving, managing,
exploiting and developing the national railways.
The Great Railway of Venezuela passed into the hands of the State, but the
lack of investment caused the deterioration of its services to continue to intensify.
In 1949, the State Railway Institute reported on the deplorable state in which
the Railways owned by the nation were found, adding that the railway track was in
such a state of wear and tear that it continued to allow its use without any type of
investment. could cause accidents.
In 1950, the first National Railway Plan was born, which confirmed the state's
intention to create a railway network suitable for the new times through the
adoption of modern trains and railways. This plan led to the inauguration of the
Puerto Cabello section –
 Barquisimeto in 1959, which had 173 kilometers and was established as the
first link of the National Railway Plan to be developed.
In 1966, the last trip of the Great Railway of Venezuela was made, between
the Palo Grande station in Caracas and the San Blas station in Valencia.
Currently the operational railway lines, performing different modal functions,
are:
▲ “Simón Bolívar” Railway System
▲ “Ezequiel Zamora” Railway System 2006
▲ Morón – Riecito Line
▲ Ciudad Piar – Puerto Ordaz CVG Line. The Ferrominera del Orinoco opera
▲ Los Pijiguaos Line – Las Ventanas CVG. Bauxilum

Caracas Metro: The Caracas Metro is one of the most important public
transportation systems that serves the city of Caracas, and the most extensive and
oldest of those built in Venezuela. It is made up of a Metropolitan Railway System
(Metro), a Surface Transportation System (Metrobús), a Cable Car System
(Metrocable), an automatic people mobilizer (Cabletrén) and a rapid transit bus
network (BusCaracas). It was inaugurated on January 2, 1983 with 6.7 km, and
currently the total length of the railway reaches 71 km.

Valencia Metro: It is an underground mass transportation system that began

operations in the pre-operational phase on November 18, 2006 with 4.7 km of the
planned 7 km. Its commercial operation began a year later, on November 18, 2007,
when the Las Ferias, Michelena, Santa Rosa and Lara stations also came into
operation, reaching 6.2 km of travel.

Maracaibo Metro: The Maracaibo Metro is a metropolitan railway designed

to satisfy the need for a mass public transportation system that serves the
Venezuelan city of Maracaibo. The system inaugurated the first three stations of
Line 1 on a pre-operational basis and free of charge to the public on November 25,
2006, while it began its commercial operations three years later, on Tuesday, June
9, 2009, the date for which The last two stations of the initial planned section came
into operation: Urdaneta and Libertador.

Los Teques Metro: The Los Teques Metro is a metro system that on its first
line is suburban and connects the city of Caracas with Los Teques, capital of the
Miranda State, in Venezuela. The first section leaves from the Las Adjuntas station
of the Caracas Metro and ends at the Alí Primera station. It was partially
inaugurated on November 3, 2006, a total of 3 lines are being planned to connect
Los Teques not only with Caracas, but also with other nearby towns such as
Carrizal and San Antonio de los Altos.
Ezequiel Zamora Railway System (Central)
The most important stages of the Venezuelan Railway system are found in
the Central and Capital region of Venezuela. It unites the Capital District and the
states of Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo and Guárico. The Central Railway System
constitutes the fundamental link of the National Railway System, since it will allow
railway interconnection with the different regions of the country.
This System is focused on the development of a multimodal cargo and
passenger system, which combines different means of transportation in an
integrated manner under the promotion of logistics centers or platforms, where
road, rail and maritime means (Interports) come together.
However, the first stage was inaugurated on October 15, 2006, it links the
capital with the Tuy Valleys, contributing to the population and industrial
development of the region, which will be transformed into a logistics platform where
the road and railway system will converge, achieving better distribution and
mobilization of cargo and passengers. In addition to contributing to the
deconcentration of the Caracas Metropolitan Area, it reduces dependence on the
country's capital and the services of the Maiquetía International Airport and the
Port of
La Guaira. The Venezuelan company Fe Consult SA was one of several
construction companies responsible for launching the train project in Venezuela. It
is the first stage of the Central Railway System, which will later link with Puerto
Cabello.

It should be noted that the diolkos, a precursor of the railway, operated in

Greece in the 6th century BC. Unlike modern trains, it did not have elevated rails,
but rather excavated in the rock.

In fact, the diolkos was a huge wagon or wagon whose wheels circulated
through the gap left by the stone slabs and on which the ships that had to cross the
Strait of Corinth in this way were placed.
The railway, the main piece of the transformations that the train brought
about, already existed in the 16th century, in the mines of Transylvania: they were
wooden rails that acted as a road, given the state of the roads at that time. The
heavy animal-drawn carts slid over that uniform surface.

Also in Great Britain, the history of the railway dates back to the 17th century:
simple tracks formed by a flat surface of wooden planks, as in Transylvania, on
which wagons full of coal moved from the mines to the canal, dragged by animals.
since the fundamental transport was river or sea.
From the English steel master Richard Reynolds came the idea of replacing
the wooden plates with iron ones to increase the load of the wagons without the rail
or sliding track suffering from the weight.
 In 1763, Richard Reynolds created the first cast iron rails to replace the
wooden ones that had operated since 1602 in the Newcastle mines. Another
Englishman, William Jessop, conceived the first bulk rail in 1789, which with
various modifications and improvements worked until 1858, when the steel rail was
introduced by Bassemer. Also since 1789 the change of hands has been in
operation.
However, in 1802, the English mechanic Richard Trevithick built the first
steam locomotive in the Coalbrookdale foundries and forges, which in 1804 hauled
a five-ton convoy and traveled fifteen kilometers at the speed of twenty per hour.
Although a passenger car was added to this first device, it was barely useful, since
fully loaded it could not reach a speed greater than that of a man walking, the first
train locomotive Richard Trevithick's steam locomotive
The first practical use of the steam engine and the railway occurred in the
English coal mines, where in 1804 a set of cast iron rails was created on which
Richard Trevithick's steam locomotive moved, in Wales. South. But since the cast
iron did not support the weight of the locomotive well, its use was rejected. The so-
called iron horse was not practical at that time due to the number of breaks and
breakdowns it entailed, and people began to talk about the railway as a means of
human transportation, although those who sponsored the idea were ridiculed.

National Railway Plan

Transportation fulfills a function of integration and communication between
the productive, social and territorial sectors, and allows the development of all the
activities of a country, as well as regional integration. Taking into account that the
transportation means and networks in Venezuela allow the development and
growth of the country, since both people, goods and products are mobilized and
transported through them.
Therefore, communication routes are made up of road and highway networks,
railway networks, river channels, ports, airports and urban transportation in
general. As populations generate new needs, science and technology advance to
satisfy them. Therefore, during the second industrial revolution, the implementation
of the railway as a means of transportation has been a great factor for the
development of commerce, since companies reduce their costs and increase their
productivity.
This means is offered as fast, economical and safer transportation. Human
beings constantly demand goods and services, which promotes increased
productivity. Thanks to this means of transportation, goods and services can be
transported to distant populations in order to satisfy their needs.
The rail transportation system in Venezuela has increased its importance in
recent years. According to projections by the Autonomous Institute of State
Railways (Iafe), through its National Railway Development Plan, the construction of
a network of railways of approximately 13,000 km connected to each other is
planned, to be developed in the next twenty-five years. Taking into account that the
construction of the railway allows us to reduce traffic accidents that are recorded
daily throughout the national territory, its massive use allows us to reduce pollution
emissions into the atmospheric environment.
The National Railway System of Venezuela is contained in the Strategic
Development Plan of the Simón Bolívar nation and the progress of the work will
guarantee better economic mobilization, greater investments in tourism, and will
allow the creation of new population settlements, industrial estates and a more
efficient logistics management. The evolution of land transportation in the country
marks a progressive trend of cargo capture by the railway system, which currently
lacks sufficient capacity to receive a strong increase in both tonnage and
volumetric cargo to be transported.
To make decisive progress in this direction and deepen railway technology
transfer, the State must continue making important investments in infrastructure
and equipment and also generate the conditions for the private sector to participate
more prominently in a strategic activity for the comprehensive development of the
railway. nation.
 COMPETITIVENESS OF RAILWAYS WITH OTHER TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS
The competitiveness of the railway is currently limited, especially in terms of
freight transport, by the differences that exist between Member States with respect
to their equipment, technology, signaling and safety standards. The new Directive
focuses on the search for common standards for signaling and control systems,
telematics applications dedicated to freight transport services, the operation and
traffic management of rolling stock intended for international freight transport and
the qualification of the staff.
It should be noted that the Railway is a large-scale means of transportation in
wagons with guided wheels that move on parallel rails towed by a motor vehicle,
called a locomotive, which generates the energy necessary for the movement of
the whole.
On the other hand, the urban railway is the answer to the problems that the
growth of automobile use is generating, such as: Congestion, accidents. Air
pollution Noise Urban rail transport provides a future solution to the greater mobility
demand of citizens and, in turn, its own rational development generates more
demand for it. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the evolution of railways was
marked by the reaction in the developed world to the force of competition from road
and air transport, by the exploitation of electronics and by a rapid diffusion of
(urban) metro systems, both in developed and developing countries. Eager to
avoid a collapse in road transportation, secondary cities were able to afford an
urban rail system thanks to the revival of surface trams as an economical and
effective alternative to the high cost of building a traditional underground metro
system. The modern tram, also called a narrow gauge vehicle, can reach 100 km/h
and transport more than one hundred passengers per vehicle.
Intermodal rail transport: Rail freight transport currently does not escape the
competition from road transport. But it happens that to fill a train a large volume of
products is needed. Only when sufficient cargo is available in volume and
frequency to fill a train going from the origin station without stops to the destination
station, does the railway show its competitive power. This is how the so-called
complete trains dedicated to the transport of minerals, fuels, automobiles or other
products, or the recent postal trains, arise.
Statistics:
Transporting 19,000,000 tons in 46 months requires: that a truck circulate
every 1.17 minutes, and that a train circulate every 98.36 minutes (1.64 hours).
Therefore: one train replaces approximately 80 trucks.

ADVANTAGES OF THE RAILWAY

It is used to transport large volumes of cargo.
It is used to transport heavy weights.
It is used over long distances (more than 500 km). Due to the volume of
cargo it can move, it is more economical than other means of transportation.
There is the possibility of “a change of direction.” This allows the business
owner to start shipping in one direction and change it if required as long as the new
destination requires the machine to move forward and not backward.
Process en route. If due to lack of details or time the shipment had not been
completed, there is the possibility of working on this medium and finishing it on the
way; avoiding additional costs and procedures.
Ecological Advantages. The railway as a means of transport has ecological
advantages that everyone recognizes since the emission of atmospheric and
acoustic pollutants and land occupation are much lower.
Economic Advantages. They are also evident since it has greater energy
efficiency and a lower price per transport unit, reducing the cost of energy.
Advantage in the social aspect. Its accessibility is much greater than transport
by road or plane apart from the great difference in accident rates in relation to
motor transport.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE RAILWAY

Inflexibility. The merchandise can only be transported as far as the tracks
reach, that is, it cannot reach the farthest corners of the production centers.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RAILWAYS
Due to its characteristics, the railway, in the field of freight transport, appears
competitive for mass transport between origins and destinations several hundred
kilometers away, with a regularity that allows the charting of trains and in a
complete train regime.
It is also competitive for certain massive bulk traffic over shorter distances.
When these traffics exist, the railway is the most appropriate way to carry them out
both from the economic point of view and from the perspective of society as a
whole. This type of transport includes combined transport, which tries to combine
the greatest advantages of the road in terms of flexibility and door-to-door service
with the advantages of the railway in terms of greater safety, greater capacity, less
land occupation, less environmental impact and better energy performance or with
those of maritime transport in terms of its economy.
It should be noted that the current railway line is not usually very similar to the
initial versions that expanded, thanks to the burning of organic fuels such as diesel,
throughout the world.
Although tests were already carried out in the 19th century for the sake of
electrification, current electric trains are considered the result of the 20th century,
and the modern versions that since 1970 have been automated and improved, to
obtain high-speed trains today. . Typically, a railway line is made up of a set of
stations, served by a passenger, freight or mixed train. In any case, these tracks
can be one-way or have double tracks, that is, round trips, although trains can
move in only one direction at a time.
Taking into account that the locomotive is always at the head of the train,
which provides movement to the convoy of wagons or containers. The latter go
next, connected to each other in a long row. Trains can only travel the
predetermined path along the tracks.
 CONCLUSION.
The arrival of the first non-condensing pressurized steam engines in the early
19th century allowed engineers to build a new type of railway system and rail cars,
trains and locomotives were built to transport many more materials than before.
Without a doubt the great enterprise of the 19th century was the construction
of railways. The importance that the railway had in the development and progress
during this century was vital. Railway lines spread everywhere. The first railway
constructions were planned for the transportation of mineral. Mining is the industry
that has benefited the most from its development, using the railway as the most
useful and fastest means of transportation for the distribution of minerals.
Transferring it in many cases to seaports, where also by means of the steam
engine, it was transported by sea to those points of the globe where they were in
demand.
Nevertheless, the railway contributed in every way to general progress.
Something that is still booming today, with notable advances in both speed and
security. As a means of transport it has gained an importance worthy of the best
praise, since in general, many countries are implementing High Speed as a means
of passenger transport. You could even say that it is surpassing air transport. In the
railway, three stages or eras can be differentiated, namely, steam, diesel and
electric. Without a doubt, the one that is most identified with the train is the steam
train. You can almost say that it still works today.