The history of Ferronor dates back for over than 160 years. The first company that established a railway service in Chile was a company called “Compañía del Camino Ferro-Carril de Copiapó”, legally and duly registered on October 3, 1849. In 1911, the company was acquired by the State, and incorporated into Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE). Afterwards, EFE administered Ferro-Carril de Copiapó as part of its Northern Network. It also included lines of other railway companies of early date, as Carrizal and Coquimbo companies. After several changes of establishment, the Northern network name was modified in 1982 adopting a new one: Ferrocarril Regional del Norte de Chile.
In 1990 EFE transferred the company to the Corporation for Production Development (CORFO), officially assuming the name of Empresa de Transporte Ferroviário S.A., and adopting the trade name Ferronor S.A.
Subsequently, in 1997 the State of Chile decided to bid and sell the Northern network to the private sector. That year the company ownership switches to Andrés Pirazzoli y Compañía Ltda. (APCO) and the American company called RailAmerica. As of February 2004 APCO, company with wide experience in transport and delivery services, is the primary shareholder.
Since its change of ownership, Ferronor has had significant changes and innovations positioning it as the leading railway freight transportation company in Chile.
