Constitución Railway Station
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Constitución railway station () is a large
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
in Constitución, a in central Buenos Aires, Argentina. The full official name of the station is (in English: Constitution Square Station) reflecting the fact that the station is located opposite Constitution Square, two kilometers to the south of the landmark. The ground floor of the station has fourteen tracks and the floor below has two tracks for the
Buenos Aires Underground The Buenos Aires Underground (), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Plaza Miserere) opened in 1913, making it the L ...
. It serves as the South terminal for the city (with Retiro and
Once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...
stations as the North and West terminals respectively). In 2021, the station received the heritage designation of National Historic Monument.


History

On 7 March 1864, in a ceremony attended by the president
Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of Argentine Civil Wars#National unification, unified Argentina. Mitre i ...
, construction began at Mercado Constitución, on the site of the present day terminus, as the British-owned Buenos Aires Great Southern railway company began building its first
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...
line of 114 km as far as Chascomús. The first section of the line to Jeppener, Buenos Aires, was opened on 14 August 1865; during that same month a small terminal station at Mercado Constitución was opened to the public and renamed Plaza Constitución. Later that year in December the line to Chascomús was opened. This first building, known as "Constitución I", was a simple construction whose façade was on the current Brazil Street, facing the ''Mercado Constitución''. Public access entered from one side. This primitive terminal had only two platforms: one for arrivals and one for departure of trains. Between 1885 and 1887 the Plaza Constitución terminus was rebuilt and enlarged and between 1906 and 1907 further building work was carried out and extra platforms were added to cope with the increasing suburban traffic. In 1912 yet more platforms were added. On 19 September 1925 a foundation stone for the present day terminus was laid by the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
, later
Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his Abdication of Edward VIII, abdication on 11 December 1936. The Duchy, dukedom takes its name from ...
, during his official visit to Argentina. The original station was then rebuilt with fourteen platforms roofed over, modern hydraulic buffer stops and an imposing concourse which formed a massive main hall, one of the largest in the world, along the entire length of the site. Of the fourteen platforms, only two or three were normally used for mainline trains, leaving the rest for suburban services. To the east of the main station a large goods and parcels section with warehouses, offices and several sidings was built. The street frontage of the original station was left untouched due to financial constraints imposed towards the end of the rebuilding. The station was the site of a riot on May 16, 2007, during the evening
rush hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
, which provoked debate and discussion in Argentina about railway privatisation. A crowded train broke down within walking distance of the station blocking the railway and the irate passengers from trains trapped at the station, after waiting for the train to be fixed and to move, walked to the platform, thus triggering the chaos. Around 25 people were injured, and a total of 16 were arrested and later released.Argentina's privatised railways


Operation

All southbound trains on the Roca Line have their terminus at Constitución and the station is served by Trenes Argentinos, the national train operator which provides commuter services through the Roca Line to the nearby city of
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
and to the surrounding suburbs of Buenos Aires. Trenes Argentinos also operates long-distance services throughout much of
Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
on the General Roca Railway, formerly operated by defunct company Ferrobaires. Major destinations include
Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...
, Miramar, and
Bahía Blanca Bahía Blanca (; English: ''White Bay''), colloquially referred to by its own local inhabitants as simply Bahía, is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires province of Argentina, centered on the northwestern end of the eponymous Blanc ...
, with connecting services further south to Carmen de Patagones. Constitución is accessible by the Line C of the
Buenos Aires Underground The Buenos Aires Underground (), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Plaza Miserere) opened in 1913, making it the L ...
and by numerous public bus services (including the colectivo 60 service), and by long-distance bus services. From 1944 to 1966, it was also served by Line E with a station there, however this was closed when the line was re-routed further towards the centre of the city. In the future, the station will also serve as the terminus for Line F which began construction in 2015.Realizarán estudios en Constitución para ubicar la cabecera de la línea F
- EnElSubte, 1 August 2011.
The surrounding neighbourhood - part of
Neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...
of Constitución - is characterised by low-rent residences for people from the provinces (or from neighbouring
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
and
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
) who come to work in the city.


Historic operators

;Notes


In media

Several films have been filmed at the station, the most important of which are There Be Dragons and On Probation. Also several novels take place in the station and its surroundings.


Gallery

File:Estación de tranvías (Constitución - Plaza Monserrat).png, The first Constitución railway station in 1867 File:Plaza Constitucion - Buenos Aires.jpg, The Plaza Constitución and the second railway station in 1885 File:Estación Constitución (ca 1890).jpg, Facade of the second station, c. 1890 File:Constitucion railway station 1912.jpg, The station in 1912 File:J35 098 Bf Plaza Constitución, M1 5123.jpg, Platforms and formations File:Hall central de estación Constitución I.JPG, Central hall, 2014 File:Música del altiplano en la estación de trenes de Constitución (15049575013).jpg, Main hall, 2014 File:J30 694 Bf Plaza Constitución, Fernbahnwagenzug, A915.jpg, North view, 2018 File:Estación Constitución vista desde la Autopista.jpg, East entrance.


See also

* Constitución - Line C underground station * Constitución - Line E underground ghost station * Line F (Buenos Aires Underground) - planned line that will also connect to the station


Bibliography

* H.R.Stones, British Railways in Argentina 1860-1948, P.E.Waters & Associates, Bromley, Kent, England, 1993. * D.S.Purdom, ''British Steam on the Pampas'', Mechanical Engineering Publications Ltd, London, 1977.


References


External links


Trenes Argentinos
operator {{DEFAULTSORT:Constitucion, Estacion Railway stations in Buenos Aires Railway stations in Argentina opened in 1865 Railway stations in Argentina opened in 1907