BUENOS AIRES: To the chagrin of nostalgic Argentines, the world's oldest running subway commuter train, a dimly lit, century-old wooden car beloved by tourists and Buenos Aires residents, is scheduled to make its final stop this weekend.
Unless defenders of the old trains secure a last-gasp court order or law to keep it in service, the Belgian-made carriages will be mothballed on Saturday before being replaced by slick new cars made in China.
With a curved roof, wooden benches and blue and grey exterior, the trains made by the company La Brugeoise, Nicaise et Delcuve in Bruges, Belgium have graced the tracks of the southern hemisphere's first subway line since 1913.
But the capital's government believes it is time to retire the underground trains for fear they could be dangerous, even though the ancient Line A has only recorded one accident with passengers in its history.
Several lawmakers have introduced legislation and made court requests to save the Brugeoise trains, affectionately known as "Las Belgas" ("The Belgians") or "Las Brujas" ("The Witches").
But the legislature and the courts are closed this week because it is the summer holidays in the southern hemisphere.
"These trains can work perfectly for 100 more years," said Cesario Blanco, one of 130 mechanics in the century-old subway car repair shed known as el polvorin, the powder keg.
"They have such class when they arrive at a station," said Blanco.
The director of the National Library, Horacio Gonzalez, said the closure of the Line A trains amounted to a "historic demolition."
Only the subway cars of Budapest, from 1896, are older but the Hungarian trains are only used for tourist tours.
"Buenos Aires is about to make a mistake that it will pay for in just a few years," warned historian Eduardo Lazzari.
Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri, who just emerged from a conflict with President Cristina Kirchner's government over management of the subway, wants to show that the city is in control.
"We don't want to wait (for an accident) to remove them," said Juan Pablo Piccardo, head of the city's underground company, Subterraneos de Buenos Aires (SBASE).
"The January 12 date cannot be postponed due to the safety risk for passengers," he told AFP.
The mayor's deputy, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, took a more light-hearted tone, saying the old wooden trains "could be used for a barbecue."
But Javier Fernandez, who led a study conducted by the Madrid metro at the request of the subway service operator Metrovias, concluded that authorities were "confusing age with safety."
The capital's government commissioned a rival study from the Barcelona metro, which recommended the removal of the old trains.
"The trains are safe because our work is a craft," said Blanco, whose work is threatened by the disappearance of the "Belgas."
The repair shed's manager, Eduardo Zerbo, 48, showed how cables are placed in the trains manually. On a table, copper wires are knitted like lace. The old cars, he said, are a "living heritage."
In a final attempt to convince the city to change its mind, 50 non-governmental organizations are organizing a demonstration on Friday night, hours before the 100-year-old trains make their final runs.
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