Ponce and Guayama Railroad

The Ponce and Guayama Railroad was a metre‑gauge railway operating in southeastern Puerto Rico between 1904 and 1990. Originally formed in 1903 as a successor to the American Railroad Company of Porto Rico, it ran roughly 60 mi (97 km) along the island’s southern coast, connecting major sugar‑production centers, including Ponce, Central Aguirre, and Guayama. The railroad provided mixed passenger and freight services—beginning passenger operations around 1910—before phasing out public transport by 1953 and continuing sugar cane haulage until the closure of Central Aguirre in 1990. A preserved 4-mile segment later became the Tren del Sur (Train of the South), a heritage line active intermittently from 1984 until 2005, using much of the railroad’s original right‑of‑way.

Ponce and Guayama Railroad

An old abandoned Plymouth locomotive in Ponce from Ponce and Guayama Railroad, similar to those used along the Train of the South
Overview
Headquarters	Central Aguirre, Salinas, Puerto Rico
Locale	Southeastern Puerto Rico
Dates of operation	1904 (1904)–1990 (1990)
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 3 3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) (metre gauge)
Length	60 mi (97 km)
Route map v t e Ponce & Guayama Railroad Legend Branch to Patillas dismantled from Central Lafayette Nigua River Tren del Sur Yard Tren del Sur station (Arroyo) Guásimas Municipal Limit Arroyo/Guayama Corazón Creek Road PR-3 Algarrobo Branderí Central Machete (Tren del Sur termini) to and from Guayama railway station Road PR-707 Central Guamaní Puente Jobos Viaduct over Jobos Bay mangrove Municipal Limit Guayama/Salinas Aguirre railway station Port of Aguirre Road PR-705 to and from Fortuna Branch Central Aguirre Yard Central Aguirre Turntable Central Aguirre Workshop Central Aguirre Sugar Mill & Warehouse Sugar cane wagon loader ramp Salinas railway station Salinas River Arenal Parcelas Las Ochenta Jueyes River – Municipal Limit Salinas/Santa Isabel Road PR-543 Road PR-542 Jauca Road PR-1 to and from Paso Seco Branch Florida Branch to Hacienda Florida & Santa Isabel town Branch to Hacienda Florida & Santa Isabel town dismantled Santa Isabel railway station Coamo River Central Cortada Descalabrado – Municipal Limit St. Isabel/Juana Díaz Pastillito Road PR-535 to and from Fort Allen Jacaguas River to and from Juana Díaz Branch Municipal Limit Juana Díaz/Ponce Fortuna railway station Road PR-1 Mercedita Airport (Original right-of-way, cut by runway) Central Mercedita wagons sideyard Fortuna Central Mercedita Yard Central Mercedita Turntable Central Mercedita Workshop Central Mercedita Sugar Mill & Refinery Cintrona Segunda Vayas Highway PR-52 Bucaná Line end Bucaná River, Ponce

The Central Lafayette in Arroyo was the start point of the Ponce & Guayama Railroad.

The Mercedita Refinery and Central Mercedita in Ponce was the end point of the Ponce & Guayama Railroad.

References

• Aponte, Roger. "Ponce & Guayama Railroad". Railroads of Puerto Rico / Ferrocarriles de Puerto Rico. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
• Aponte, Roger (1984). Apuntes sobre el último ferrocarril de Puerto Rico, Ponce & Guayama Railroad. Ponce: Editorial Kider Printing. (in Spanish)
• Pumarada, Luis (1980). Trasfondo histórico del ferrocarril en Puerto Rico. Mayagüez: Centro de Investigaciones de Ingeniería, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez. (in Spanish)