In 1863, the government of Argentina granted British-owned company Central Argentine Railway, led by engineer William Wheelwright, a concession to build and exploit a railway line between the cities of Rosario (a major port in southern Santa Fe, on the Paraná River) and Córdoba (a large city near the geographical center of Argentina, and the capital of the province of the same name).The line, a 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge railway, reached Villa María, Córdoba, in September 1867 and the works ceased.Finally in March 1870 the railway reached the city of Córdoba and it was officially inaugurated by then President of Argentina Domingo Sarmiento on April 13.When the entire Argentine railway network was privatised in the early 1990s by the Carlos Menem's presidency, passenger services to Córdoba were closed.[1] In November 2014, the Government of Argentina (through the State-owned company Trenes Argentinos S.A.) took over the services to Rosario (norte), Tucumán and Córdoba, leaving Ferrocentral inactive.