Information AboutConstitucion Station |
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| buildings and structures in buenos aires | |
| buenos aires metro | |
| railway stations in argentina | |
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Estación Constitución (in landmark. The ground floor of the station has twelve tracks and the floor below has two tracks for the metro. HISTORY On 7 March 1864, in a ceremony attended by the president Bartolomé Mitre , construction began on the site of the present day terminus as the British-owned Gran Ferrocarril Sur railway company began building its first Broad Gauge (5ft 6in) line of 114 km as far as Chascomús . The line was completed in 1865 and the first terminus building was finished in 1885. On 19 September 1925 a foundation stone for the present day terminus was laid by the Prince Of Wales , later Duke Of Windsor , 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 surburban 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. PRESENT DAY All southbound trains on the Roca line have their terminus at Constitución and the station is served by two railway companies:
Constitución is accessible by the C Line of the city's Subte metro and by numerous public bus services (including the Colectivo 60 service), and by long-distance bus services. The surrounding neighbourhood - part of Barrio Constitución - is characterized by low-rent residences for people from the provinces (or from neighboring Paraguay and Bolivia ) who come to work in the city. MAY 16 RIOT The station was the site of a riot on May 16 , 2007 , during the evening Rush Hour , which provoked debate and discussion in Argentina over railroad service and privatization. A crowded train broke down within walking distance of the station and the irate passengers, 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[http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37753]. REFERENCES D.S.Purdom, ''British Steam on the Pampas'', Mechanical Engineering Publications Ltd, London, 1977. |
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