Retiro railway station

Retiro railway station (Estación Retiro in Spanish) is a large railway terminus in central Buenos Aires, Argentina located in the city's "Retiro barrio" (neighborhood), opposite Plaza San Martín, a large public square.

One of Argentina's busiest railway stations, Retiro is the terminus for three railway lines; Mitre, Belgrano, and San Martin and is adjacent to the "Terminal de Omnibus", a major long-distance bus terminal. The complex is accessible by the C line of the Buenos Aires Metro system and by numerous local public bus services. A modern tramway extension that will link Retiro, the Puerto Madero district and Constitución terminal train station is in the planning stages. [cite web | author=Rossi, Antonio| year=2007| title=Proyectan Tranvía de Retiro a Constitución | work=La Nación | url=http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/07/13/laciudad/h-04015.htm | accessdate=2007-07-13 (Spanish)]

History

The French-style station building was designed by the British architects Eustace L. Conder, Roger Conder and Sydney G. Follet together with the engineer Reginald Reynolds. Building began in June 1909 and the station was opened on 1 August 1915. The steel structure for the building was made in Liverpool, England, and re-assembled in Argentina. For many years it was considered to be the most important example of structural engineering in South America and architecturally one of the finest buildings in the world. In 1997 it was declared a National Monument.

Commuter Rail Services

Retiro is the largest commuter rail station in Buenos Aires and more commuter trains arrive and depart from here than in any other station in the city. As of 2006, the following companies operate regular services to the suburbs of Buenos Aires along three principal lines:

*Metropolitano: Linea San Martín service calling at Villa Devoto, El Palomar, Hurlingham and Pilar, amongst others. [ [http://www.ugofe.com.ar/ UGOFE S.A.] (Spanish)]

*Trenes de Buenos Aires: Linea Mitre service calling at José León Suárez, Tigre, and Bartolomé Mitre along its three branches.

*Ferrovías: Linea Belgrano Norte service to Villa Rosa.

Long-Distance Trains

In addition to its status as the hub of an extensive commuter railway network, Retiro is also the terminus of a few long-distance passenger services which provide access to cities in the north and west of the country. As of 2006, the following companies manage these long-distance services:

*Ferrocentral: operates a twice weekly overnight service to Córdoba and a once weekly overnight service northwest to Tucumán, both via Rosario and stations between.

*Trenes de Buenos Aires: operates a weekly overnight service north to Santa Fé, via Rosario and points between.

*Ferrobaires: operates daily evening services west to Junín and points between.

In April 2006 President Néstor Kirchner announced a plan to build a Buenos Aires-Rosario-Córdoba high-speed railway, with Retiro as its Buenos Aires terminus.

References

External links

* [http://www.monumentosysitios.gov.ar/catalogo/ Catalogue of Monuments]