Central Station (), also known as Alameda station, is a major railway station in

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. It serves the south of the country and is the city's primary railway hub. After the closure of

Mapocho The River 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, Chile, Santiago in two. Course The Mapoc ...

, it became the only major railway station in Santiago. It is on the Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, facing Matucana avenue.

Overview

The station opened in 1885, with the building designed by

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; 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 net ...

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

Le Creusot Le Creusot () is a Communes of France, commune and industrial town in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department, Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerl ...

. In 1983, 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 sp ...

by the Chilean government, protecting it by law from demolition or remodeling. It has long been a reference point for travellers and locals; becoming so well known that it gave the name to the municipality and commune where it is located, Estación Central. In recent years, the station has undergone a revival as the government-owned railway Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado has been modernized to restore the bygone appeal for train travel. These efforts have been met with moderate success. On 24 May 2021, EFE officially renamed the station from "Alameda" to "Central Station". The station is a key transportation hub, with the underground

Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro () 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), 143 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by the state-owned Metro S. ...

''Line 1'' Estación Central metro station located at its central gates. Three intercity bus terminals are also within walking distance, and numerous local bus lines serve the station. A medium-sized

shopping center A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

is adjacent to the station, and the nearby San Borja Bus Terminal is also within walking distance, connected by an additional complex of shopping centers.

Lines and trains

The following lines and trains terminate here: *

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

Central ** TerraSur inter-city service (Alameda -

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

) **Tren Alameda - Nos commuter service (Alameda - Nos) **Tren Estación Central - Rancagua commuter/regional service (Alameda - Rancagua) **Tren Estación Central - San Fernando (Pilot of extension of Tren Estación Central - Rancagua) *Touristic Trains ** Tren del Recuerdo (Estación Central-

San Antonio, Chile San Antonio is a Chile, Chilean port city, commune, and the capital of the San Antonio Province in the Valparaíso Region. It has become the main freight port in Chile, surpassing Valparaíso in the 21st century. San Antonio is also the hub of t ...

) ** Tren Del Recuerdo (Estación Central - Limache) ** Tren Sabores Del Valle *Occasional Services ** Tren nocturno Santiago-Concepción inter-city service (Alameda - Concepción) **TerraSur Temuco inter-city service (Alameda -

Temuco Temuco () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune, capital (political), capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located south of Santiago de Chile, Santiago. The cit ...

)

Nearby Landmarks

* University of Santiago *San Borja

Bus Terminal A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...

* 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 horses of South America descend from Andalusian horse, Andalusian and ...

, Ripley, La Polar & 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) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

. *

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 planetariums is ...

"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 in Chile opened in 1885 Buildings and structures in Santiago, Chile