Mar del Plata railway and bus station

Mar del Plata
Regional
Location Av. P. Luro 4400, Mar del Plata
Argentina
Coordinates 37°59′18″S 57°33′51″W / 37.9884°S 57.5641°WCoordinates: 37°59′18″S 57°33′51″W / 37.9884°S 57.5641°W
Owned by Government of Argentina
Operated by Ferrobaires (Standard services)
Trenes Argentinos (Luxury services)
Line(s) Roca
Distance 400 km
Bus stands 42 [1]
Bus operators Yes
Construction
Platform levels 5
History
Opened 2009 [lower-alpha 1]
Traffic
Passengers 2,200,200 [1]

Mar del Plata is a railway and bus terminus in the homonymous city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The station had opened in 2009 as a bus terminus only, adding railway platforms to receive trains from Constitución railway station since 2011.[2][1]

Station facilities include 42 bus garages, 5 railway platforms, 50 shops, 3 restaurants, 51 ticket offices, parking and accessible toilets.[3]

History

The original Mar del Plata station ("Norte"), opened in 1886.
The Mar del Plata Sur station was opened in 1910 and closed in 1949 to serve as bus terminus.
Platforms of the third railway station, out of service since 2011.
A SDD7 diesel-electric locomotive acquired to CSR to run luxury services.

In August, 1861, Edward Lumb, a British entrepreneur, requested the concession of a railway line, initially projected to run from Constitución to Chascomús, 120 km from Buenos Aires.[4]

On 26 September 1886, the first train arrived to the city of Mar del Plata, that was the main tourist destination during summer season.[5]

By 1910 Mar del Plata was the main beach city of Argentina, receiving a huge number of tourists (most of them members of the aristocracy) during the summer. Due to the intense traffic of passengers, the railway station exceeded its capacity and the Municipality demanded the company to increase the facilities. The company had always denied to this request alleging that the station was only overcrowded during two months per year (the period of summer season in Argentina).

During the first decade of the 20th century, the urban development of Mar del Plata moved from the downtown to the South West (nearest to the coast) so the train station was far from the residences and hotels where the tourist were hosted. On June 1908 the Congress promulgated Law 5.535, authorizing the BAGSR to build a new station in Mar del Plata.

Although the construction of a new station had been approved, a neighbours committee (lead by Mar del Plata pioneer Pedro Luro) opposed to the old station was demolished, requesting its preservation. Percy Clarke, manager of the company had to accept the neighbours' claim. The other point of conflict with the inhabitants of the city was the path of the new line. While the company wanted to build the new station near to the coast (to reduce costs), the neighbours demanded the station should be located far from the most populated areas of the city. Finally, the BAGSR agreed to built the new station where the neighbours had demanded.

The works began in 1909 and were finished one year later, when the station building began to be constructed. The project of the company also included to extended the tracks to the city of Miramar. The new station in Mar del Plata (named "Mar del Plata Sur") was opened On December 1, 1910, although the main building was not still finished so a provisional wooden-structure was opened to the public for the 1910–11 summer season.

As the old station (renamed "Mar del Plata Norte") remained active, the new station would be only used during the summer seasons. It had two large platforms, the main building, a post warehouse, and a signal cabin. When the new station opened, all the trains that arrived to the old station were reprogrammed to make their arrival to the South station. It totalized four services per day, including the two express services. Nevertheless, a few days before the inauguration, the BAGSR requested the Government that only the express services arrived to the new station, due to the other three trains programmed had to end their routes in Miramar and could not change their path to the south station.

The request was approved and therefore only the express services stopped at the new station.

In 2009 the bus terminus (that operated in old Mar del Plata Norte station building) moved to a new building, very close to active Mar del Plata station in the centre of the city.[6] It was also announced that the old building would be preserved as a cultural centre, designed by Arq. César Pelli.[7]

Two years later, the railway terminus was inaugurated.[2] During the ceremony it was announded that the terminus was able to operate 1,200 bus services and 11 trains, with a transit of 2,200,200 passengers per day.[8] The buses section was built at a cost of $ 19,5 million while the trains section cost $ 117,4.[1]

Likewise, train units made by Spanish company Talgo were also featured in the inauguration. A total of two trains (consisting in 1 diesel locomotive and 9 coaches) were acquired by the Government of Argentina. The Talgo units had a capacity of 214 passengers, all of them provided with air conditioning and TV. Time estimated for the journey was 5 and a half hour.[3]

Nevertheless, in 2012 the Talgo trains were retired from service. The Government alleged that trains maintenance and service costs were too expensive.[9] Ministry of Transport said the contract with Talgo had been revoked. A total of 6 trains had been purchased although only two of them were running.[10]

In 2014, trains by Chinese company CSR were acquired by the National Government to run luxury services to Mar del Plata. The first CSR unit arrived to Mar del Plata station in November 2014.[11] Those trains have a capacity for 565 passengers. Each unit have 12 coaches (with five first class travel, four pullman, 1 restaurant, among them).[12][13]

Operators

The companies that operated trains from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata have been the following:

Company Period Station
Buenos Aires Great Southern 1886-1948 Norte (1886-1910)
Sur (1910-48)
Ferrocarriles Argentinos 1948-1993 Sur (1948-1993)
Ferrobaires [lower-alpha 2] 1993-present Sur (1993-2014)
Railway & bus (2014-present)
Trenes Argentinos [lower-alpha 3] 2014-present Railway & bus (2014-present)

See also

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ↑ In 2009 the station opened only for as bus terminal. In 2011, the railway section was inaugurated.
  2. ↑ Standard services
  3. ↑ Luxury services with brand-new trains from China.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "La Presidenta inauguró la Ferroautomotora y anunció más obras para Mar del Plata", La Capital, 23 Jul 2011
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Cristina inauguró la terminal de trenes y micros de Mar del Plata en un día con retrasos", Clarín, 22 Jul 2011
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Fue inaugurada la nueva estación Ferroautomotora de la ciudad de Mar del Plata", Rieles Magazine, 25 Jul 2011
  4. ↑ Historia del Ferrocarril Sud, 1861-1936 by William Rögind - Establecimiento Gráfico Argentino, Buenos Aires (1937)
  5. ↑ "Ferrocarril" at Mar del Plata Ayer website
  6. ↑ "Ya funciona la nueva terminal de ómnibus de Mar del Plata", La Nación, 13 Dec 2009
  7. ↑ "Nueva terminal de ómnibus", 19 Jan 2010
  8. ↑ "Cristina inauguró la terminal ferroautomotora en un día con demoras", La Razón, 22 Jul 2011
  9. ↑ "Trenes a Mar del Plata: menos servicios y otra vez problemas", Clarín, 2 Nov 2012
  10. ↑ "Randazzo cortó uno de los trenes a Mar del Plata que había inaugurado Cristina" on La Política Online, 2 Nov 2012
  11. ↑ "Realizará su primer viaje el tren chino que unirá Buenos Aires con Mar del Plata", Minuto Uno, 21 Nov 2014
  12. ↑ "Los pasajeros de los primeros coches 0 KM celebraron el viaje en un tren "confortable"", Télam, 19 Dec 2014
  13. ↑ "El nuevo tren que unirá Buenos Aires con Mar del Plata realiza su primer viaje este viernes", Diario Registrado, 21 Nov 2014
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