Alameda (unofficially Estación Central) is a major railway station in

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

, serving the south of the country, and is the city's primary and railway station, and is the only major railway station in Santiago after the closure of

Mapocho The River Mapocho ( es, Río Mapocho) ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. Course The Mapo ...

, which used to cater trains to northern Chile. It is on the

Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins ( en, General Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins Avenue), popularly known as La Alameda (meaning, a street bordered by poplar trees), is the main avenue of Santiago, Chile. It runs east-west in the center o ...

, facing Matucana avenue.

Overview

It opened in 1885, with the building designed by

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

in 1897, and its metallic structure built by the French firm Schneider of

Le Creusot Le Creusot () is a commune and industrial town in the Saône-et-Loire department, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgic ...

. It was declared a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

in 1983 by the government,http://www.letsgochile.com/locations/central-zone/rm/alameda-railway-station-in-santiago Alameda railway station article protected by law against being demolished or remodeled. It has long been a reference point for travellers and locals; it is so well known that it gave the name to the municipality and

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

where it is located,

Estación Central Estación Central ((), Spanish for "central station") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Its namesake is the Estación Central railway station located in the commune. Demographics According to th ...

. It has experienced a revival as the government railway

Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (abbreviated EFE, lit. ''State Railway Company'') is the national railway and the oldest state-run enterprise in Chile. It manages the infrastructure and operating rail services in the country. Track gauge ...

has been modernized to restore the bygone appeal for train travel. These efforts have met with moderate success. It is an important hub for public transportation, with the underground

Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro ( es, Metro de Santiago) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 136 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by th ...

''Line 1'' Estación Central metro station and three intercity bus terminals within walking distance. Many local bus lines stop at the station and a medium-sized

shopping center A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

is adjacent. The nearby San Borja Bus Terminal is within walking distance and connected by a medium-sized complex of shopping centers. The central gates of the station are a transfer point to the metro station.

Lines and trains

The following lines and trains terminate here: *Red Sur

EFE Agencia EFE, S.A. () is a Spanish international news agency, the major multimedia news agency in Spanish language and the world's fourth largest wire service after the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. EFE was created in 1939 ...

TerraSur TerraSur (previously known as EFE Chillán) is a Chilean Inter-city rail service, opened in 2001 between Santiago and Chillán, on the ''Chilean Central Valley''. It is operated by the ''Trenes Regionales Terra S.A.'', a subsidiary of the Empresa ...

inter-city service (Alameda -

Chillán Chillán () is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new � ...

) **Metrotrén Nos commuter service (Alameda - Nos) **Metrotrén Rancagua commuter/regional service (Alameda -

Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sant ...

) **TerraSur Temuco inter-city service (Alameda -

Temuco Temuco () is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located south of Santiago. The city grew out from a fort of the same name established in 1881 during Chile's invasion ...

) ** Tren nocturno Santiago-Concepción inter-city service (Alameda - Concepción) *Ramal Cartagena ** FEPASA freight transport

Surroundings

* University of Santiago *San Borja

Bus Terminal A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is l ...

* Estación Central metro station *Mall Plaza Alameda (shopping center) **

Falabella The Falabella is an Argentine list of horse breeds, breed of small horse. It is among the smallest of horse breeds, with a height at the withers in the range .. History The ancestral stock of the horse of South America descended from horses bro ...

, Ripley,

La Polar La Polar is the fourth largest retail company in Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a lo ...

& Johnsons retail stores. *Paseo Arauco Estación (shopping center) ** Almacenes París and Fashion's Park retail stores, Sodimac (warehouse store). *Cinemundo, a 6 screens

Movie theater A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

. * Planetarium "Universidad de Santiago".

Adjacent stations

Gallery

File:Estacion central 1897.JPG, The station in 1897 File:Entrando a la Estación Central de Santiago de Chile.jpg, Main hall File:Estación Central 1.JPG, Night view File:Estación Central andenes exteriores.JPG, Platforms File:Estación Central por la mañana.JPG, External view

References

Station History

External links

Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado

Metrotrén
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santiago Estacion Central Railway Station

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

Railway stations opened in 1885 Railway stations in Chile Buildings and structures in Santiago