The government has definitively closed the Sarmiento undergrounding project after 17 years and millions of dollars lost
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After 17 years of announcements, management changes, and unfulfilled promises, the Sarmiento railway burial has come to an end. The decision was made by Javier Milei's administration, which solved to permanently seal the 7.2-kilometer (4.47-mile) tunnel that was partially built.
This project, launched with great expectations in 2008 by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, never achieved even a quarter of its original goal. Today, it remains an underground testament to government waste and inefficiency.
An unfulfilled promise since 2008
The original project planned for a 32.6-kilometer (20.26-mile) tunnel, stretching from Caballito to Moreno. The first stage, 9.2 kilometers (5.72 miles) long, already represented an investment of 1 billion dollars. However, excavations only reached 7.2 km (4.47 miles) before coming to a halt in Villa Luro.
Soterramiento del Sarmiento: 17 años y 420 millones de USD perdidos en inoperancia
For more than a decade, the project was used as a political banner and a promise of railway modernization, but it never had the sustained financial backing needed for completion.
Millions underground
According to official data, 420 million dollars were invested in the project before its definitive halt. The tunnel boring machine "Argentina", a gigantic machine 125 meters (410 feet) long and weighing hundreds of tons of steel, remains buried and unused 20 meters (65.6 feet) underground.
The closure involves building walls at both ends of the tunnel, burying not only the materials but also the resources that will never be returned to taxpayers.
Soterramiento del Sarmiento: 17 años y 420 millones de USD perdidos en inoperancia
A history of corruption and neglect
The Sarmiento burial was marked by suspicions of corruption, mainly linked to the construction company Odebrecht. Meanwhile, in other countries in the region, investigations led to convictions; in Argentina, the case stalled.
Three Kirchnerist governments, along with part of Mauricio Macri's administration, were unable to give the project a functional purpose. Politicians chose to postpone decisions while the infrastructure deteriorated.
Negative urban impact
For nearly twenty years, the Sarmiento route was an obstacle for residents. The project blocked the possibility of carrying out alternative works, such as viaducts or underpasses, which would have improved traffic flow and reduced risks at level crossings.
In Buenos Aires City, more than half of these dangerous crossings belong to Sarmiento. Neighborhoods dealt with closed streets, occupied land, and an urban barrier that split communities in two.
The definitive closure
Soterramiento del Sarmiento: 17 años y 420 millones de USD perdidos en inoperancia
The companies Sacde and Ghella, responsible for construction, agreed with the Government to terminate the contract. The measure includes dismantling facilities and sealing the project.
In the short term, there are no plans to resume the project. The current administration aims to free up the route so that the City and Buenos Aires municipalities can move forward with more economical and feasible solutions.
The cost of failure
What was announced as a flagship project for the Bicentennial ended up as a symbol of government inefficiency and mismanagement. The Sarmiento burial was supposed to be completed in 36 months and dragged on until it became a dead structure.
Today, 20 meters (65.6 feet) underground, lie millions of dollars, state-of-the-art machinery, and a missed opportunity to modernize Argentine railway transportation.
