Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perú

Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perú, commonly known as ENAFER, was Peru's public railway company and the principal state institution responsible for managing and commercially operating the country's railway network. It was established by government decree on September 19, 1972, during a period when Peru consolidated state control over important transport infrastructure. ENAFER was formed through the nationalization of several foreign-owned railway companies that had previously operated largely separate systems. The company's inherited network centered on two major railway groupings. The Ferrocarril Central Andino connected the central highlands with the Lima and Callao area, providing a route between the Pacific coast and inland mining and agricultural regions. The Ferrocarril del Sur served Peru's southern railway system and supplied another connection toward the Pacific, linking areas including Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, and other southern destinations. The network therefore had both commercial and strategic importance, supporting passenger mobility, freight movement, regional integration, and access to high-altitude settlements. The Peruvian railway system associated with ENAFER comprised approximately 1,886 kilometers of track. Most of the network used standard gauge, although some routes used narrower gauges. The system included technically demanding mountain railways, including the route containing Galera station at approximately 4,781 meters above sea level, historically described as the world's highest railway station before the opening of the Qingzang railway in China surpassed that record. The network's geography made railway operation especially significant: lines crossed steep Andean terrain and connected the coast with remote highland areas. ENAFER's activities covered railway infrastructure management, train operations, passenger transportation, freight transportation, and the commercial use of railway assets. Its services and infrastructure supported mineral traffic, agricultural distribution, tourism, and intercity travel. Railway corridors associated with the company also later became connected with specialized private operators and concession arrangements, including services on routes serving Machu Picchu and the southern and central systems. The company was not ultimately maintained as a permanently integrated state railway operator. The reference material describes ENAFER as having been privatized again, following its period as a public enterprise. As a result, ENAFER is best understood as a former national railway company and a transitional institution in the restructuring of Peru's rail sector rather than as the current operator of the entire national network. The railway infrastructure and services it once administered subsequently became associated with separate concessionaires and private railway businesses. The available reference material does not specify the exact date, transaction structure, financial terms, or complete legal sequence of that privatization.

Before ENAFER was created, Peru's railway system was divided among several companies, including foreign-owned operators serving distinct geographic corridors. Two principal systems were especially important. The central railway, commonly identified with the Ferrocarril Central Andino, connected Lima and the port area around Callao with the central Andes. The southern railway system, known as the Ferrocarril del Sur, provided a second major route from the Pacific side toward southern and southeastern Peru. These lines served different regional economies and were not originally managed as one unified national railway company. On September 19, 1972, the Peruvian government created Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perú by decree. Its formation followed the nationalization of several foreign-owned railway companies and brought major railway assets and operating responsibilities into a public enterprise. The new company was intended to ensure the management and commercial exploitation of Peru's railway network. This role included operating trains, managing infrastructure, and providing transportation services across a geographically fragmented and technically demanding system. The network administered or associated with ENAFER covered approximately 1,886 kilometers. Most lines were built to standard gauge, while other sections used narrower gauges, including routes in the southern and tourist railway systems. The physical environment was one of the defining characteristics of the enterprise. Lines crossed the Andes, connected coastal areas with highland regions, and reached some of the highest railway elevations in the world. Galera station, on the central railway, stood at approximately 4,781 meters above sea level and was historically recognized as the highest railway station until the Qingzang railway exceeded that elevation. ENAFER's public role extended beyond ordinary passenger service. Railways were important for transporting minerals and other bulk goods, moving agricultural products, connecting inland communities with ports, and supporting long-distance travel. The southern network also served routes associated with tourism and access to Cusco and Machu Picchu, while the central system provided a strategically important connection between Lima, Callao, and the central highlands. Passenger and freight functions existed alongside the broader state objective of maintaining national transport infrastructure. The company eventually became part of Peru's railway-sector privatization process. The available reference material states that ENAFER was privatized again, indicating a reversal of the earlier nationalization model and the end of its role as the unified public railway company. The sources provided do not establish a precise privatization date, identify every concession or successor arrangement, or provide financial details. After this restructuring, railway operations were associated with separate private entities and concessions, including Ferrocarril Central Andino, PeruRail, and other railway operators or infrastructure stakeholders. These later arrangements divided the operation of particular corridors and services rather than preserving ENAFER as the single national operator. ENAFER's historical significance lies in the period during which it consolidated Peru's principal railway assets under public ownership. It represented an attempt to manage a nationally important but geographically divided railway system through one state enterprise. Its later privatization marked a major institutional change in the organization of Peruvian rail transport, leaving the former company as an important part of the country's railway history even though it is no longer the active nationwide operator.

• 1972

  ENAFER is established

  [1]Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perúen.wikipedia.org

  A Peruvian government decree dated September 19, 1972 created Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perú as a public company to manage and commercially operate the national railway network.

• Foreign-owned railway systems are consolidated under public ownership

  [1]Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perúen.wikipedia.org

  ENAFER was formed through the nationalization of several foreign-owned railway companies, including companies serving the central and southern railway systems.

• The company is privatized

  [1]Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perúen.wikipedia.org

  The former public railway company was later privatized, ending its role as the unified state manager and commercial operator of Peru's railway network.

Former national railway operator and public manager of Peru's railway infrastructure

• Passenger rail

  Central railway passenger services

  Passenger services on the central railway corridor connected Lima and Callao with the central Andes. The route crossed demanding mountain terrain and served inland communities and economic centers. During ENAFER's public-operator period, this service formed part of the company's national passenger-transport role.

• Passenger rail

  Southern railway passenger services

  The southern railway system provided passenger connections from the Pacific side toward destinations including Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, and associated southern routes. It served both local and intercity travel and supported the movement of visitors to important tourism destinations.

• Freight rail · 1972

  Railway freight services

  ENAFER's freight role supported the movement of minerals, agricultural goods, and other commercial cargo across Peru's railway corridors. Freight transportation was particularly important on lines linking the central highlands and southern regions with coastal ports and markets.

• Railway infrastructure management · 1972

  Railway network management

  The company's central institutional offering was management and commercial use of Peru's railway network. This included responsibility for operating railway corridors and maintaining the public railway system inherited through nationalization, across approximately 1,886 kilometers of track with multiple gauges.

• 1972

  Create a unified public railway companyStrategy

  Background

  Peru's principal railway assets were divided among several companies, including foreign-owned operators serving the central and southern systems.

  Action taken

  The government established ENAFER by decree on September 19, 1972 and placed nationalized railway operations under a public company intended to manage and commercially operate the network.

  Aftermath

  The measure consolidated major railway assets under state control and created a single institutional framework for passenger, freight, and infrastructure activities.

  Source

• Return the railway sector to private operationStrategy

  Background

  After its period as a public railway company, ENAFER became part of a later restructuring of Peru's railway sector.

  Action taken

  The company was privatized, with railway operations subsequently associated with separate private operators and concession arrangements.

  Aftermath

  ENAFER ceased to function as the unified national railway operator. The available source does not provide the exact date, terms, or complete institutional sequence of the privatization.

  Source

1. 1Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perúen.wikipedia.org