The Transandine Railway operated from Mendoza in Argentina, across the Andes mountain range to Santa Rosa de Los Andes in Chile, a distance of 248 km. Concession was granted by the Chilean Government in 1874, but construction did not begin until 1887 due to the financial problems of the construction company, Ferrocarril Trasandino Clark. The first section opened in 1891 between Mendoza and Uspallata, and the entire line opened to traffic in 1910. By this time, the company had been taken over by the British owned Argentine Transandine Railway Company. The railway has been out of service since 1984.