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, facing Matucana avenue.

Overview

It opened in 1885, with the building designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1897, and its metallic structure built by the French firm

Schneider Schneider may refer to: Hospital * Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel People * Schneider (surname) Companies and organizations * G. Schneider & Sohn, a Bavarian brewery company * Schneider Rundfunkwerke AG, the former owner of th ...

of Le Creusot. 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 where it is located, Estación Central. It has experienced a revival as the government railway Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado 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 ''Line 1''

Estación Central metro station Estación Central (Spanish for "Central Station") is a station on the Santiago Metro in Santiago, Chile. It is underground, between the stations ''Universidad de Santiago'' and ''Unión Latinoamericana'' on the same line. It is located on the Av ...

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 **

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 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 Ñuble Region since 6 Sept ...

) **Metrotrén Nos commuter service (Alameda - Nos) **Metrotrén Rancagua commuter/regional service (Alameda - Rancagua) **TerraSur Temuco inter-city service (Alameda - Temuco) ** 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 la ...

*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 A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most 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 Railway stations opened in 1885 Railway stations in Chile Buildings and structures in Santiago