Freedom Train (Tren de la Libertad)
Tunnels, bridges and the Afro-Ecuadorian Chota valley. Ibarra ↔ Salinas (Imbabura).
4
Stations
≈ 30 km
Route length
Full day (8–9 h)
Duration
Partly running
Service status
Freedom Train (Tren de la Libertad) · Otavalo ↔ Salinas
The Freedom Train (Tren de la Libertad) is one of the tourist routes of the Trans-Andean Railway of Ecuador, on the Ibarra ↔ Salinas (Imbabura) stretch. Tunnels, bridges and the Afro-Ecuadorian Chota valley. Today it runs only in part: the Ibarra–Andrade Marín segment started running again in April 2025 as the Tren Tayta Imbabura — 13 km, run by the public company INNOVA EP — while the full route remains suspended. Ibarra–Salinas (30.1 km) was surveyed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in January 2026 with a view to future reactivation.
It covers roughly ≈ 30 km between Otavalo and Salinas, with a duration of Full day (8–9 h). What makes it special:
- Seven hand-carved tunnels and two panoramic bridges
- Descends to the warm Chota valley, cradle of Afro-Ecuadorian culture
- Salinas welcomes you with bomba music and its salt-making heritage
- Since April 2025 the Tren Tayta Imbabura runs Ibarra–Andrade Marín (13 km)
The 4 stations
Times between stations
| From | To | Approx. run | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otavalo | → | Andrade Marín | 20 min |
| Andrade Marín | → | Ibarra | 18 min |
| Ibarra | → | Salinas | 1 h 30 min |
Approximate running times. Otavalo ↔ Salinas: 2 h 08 min of running time (the tourist trip included stops and excursions).
Schedule and fare
Did you know…?
- Seven hand-carved tunnels and two panoramic bridges
- Descends to the warm Chota valley, cradle of Afro-Ecuadorian culture
- Salinas welcomes you with bomba music and its salt-making heritage
- Since April 2025 the Tren Tayta Imbabura runs Ibarra–Andrade Marín (13 km)
Links and connections
The Freedom Train (Tren de la Libertad) runs along the Ibarra ↔ Salinas (Imbabura) stretch, in the heart of the Trans-Andean Railway. Its stations are linked by road to Ecuador’s main cities, which makes it easy to reach the train’s starting point.
Plan your journey — use our route planner to see which route connects two stations, the travel time and the distance.
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We update trenecuador.org as soon as there is news: route reopenings, schedules and fares for the segments still running, and updates on Ecuador's railway heritage. Save it and come back before planning your train trip.