Buenos Aires, May 21 (teleSUR-RHC)-- The Argentinian president enacted the law on Wednesday to nationalize trains in the Retiro train station. Launching the newly-nationalized rail network, Fernandez said it was important to “connect the country once and for all,” and said she wanted Patagonia to be accessible by train. She defended the nationalization and said it was the State's duty to regulate private companies. She said her late husband had the same intention in 2002 and “no one believed him, no one tolerated him.”

In April, the Argentine Senate approved legislation to re-nationalize the country's railway system and boost its efficiency, which had suffered from privatizations during previous governments. The bill, sent to the Senate in March by President Cristina Fernandez, put both passenger and freight service in state hands.

Proponents of the measure, which had almost unanimous support in the legislature, say the move will help the country's economy as the use of rail to transport goods is more efficient and it will benefit areas outside the capital.

Fernandez spoke on Wednesday about the political situation in the country, including the October presidential elections which she will not be contesting. The Argentine leader said she wanted to “listen to the men and women of [her] political circle and from others talk about (the political and social issues of the country), not about nonsense and do pantomime.”