(14/05/2012)  On Thursday 26th of April, 104 passengers had the opportunity to cover one of the most spectacular railway routes in America, the one which runs through La Nariz del Diablo (The Devil’s Nose) in the middle of the Ecuadorean Andes, on board the new railway rolling stock that from now on will be in charge of this service. This comprises the first three panoramic cars rehabilitated by Feve at its central workshops in El Berrón as well as the first of three locomotives, also rehabilitated by the Spanish metre gauge operator.

Each of the new cars has a capacity for 40 people, the complete train having capacity for 130 people. The train meets the standards of the modern tourist trains and, in addition to air conditioning, includes a pneumatic suspension system to provide smoother and balanced running on track, something that is new in this network.

The cars have face-to-face seats for four and two people and a collapsible table in the middle. Referred to as panoramic because of their large windows, the cars that cover this route are equipped with windows at the top of the carbody in order to allow passengers to fully enjoy landscape.

Along with these three cars of the “Panoramic Train” there are also two generator vans that will be incorporated into the “Cruise Train” and which Feve is already working on at its workshops in El Berrón. These generator vans will be shipped to Ecuador next autumn.

The Cruise Train will cover four day and three night journeys between Durán and Quito in a route that will run through Guayaquil, Bucay (“La Ruta de la Dulzura”, “Sweetness Route”), Urbina (“La Ruta de los Volcanes”, “Volcanoes Route”), The Devil’s Nose mountain, Huigra and Quito. This train has a capacity for 54 passengers and is scheduled to be in service by December.