An eight-car emu carrying about 1200 commuters and operated by Buenos Aires Trains (TBA) was arriving at Buenos Aires Once at 08.30 when it failed to stop, crashing into the buffers at 20km/h. TBA says the train in question entered service that day at 02.45 and had completed three trips without incident before the accident.

President Fernández has pledged to establish who is responsible for the accident. She also acknowledged that restoring the run-down commuter rail network will be complex and costly and will require huge investments from a strong and well-funded national government. "We need to bring back the railroad system we had in Argentina," Fernández declared.

"The metropolitan network is near collapse," says IRJ's correspondent, Jorge Waddell. "Most of the tracks and rolling stock are in a very bad state." TBA says fares and subsidies are too low to pay staff adequately, let alone fund repairs.