Estación Central General Artigas
The Estación General Artigas Central Station was the main station the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. After various, smaller stations in the vicinity of today's railway station, the construction of the Italian architect Luis Andreoni was put into operation on 15 July 1897. Due to the urbanization concept "Plan Fénix " the station was decommissioned on 1 March 2003 and replaced 500 meters to the north by a much smaller station. To date, the listed building is unused.
History
Predecessor
The first station received Montevideo in 1871, after the first Uruguayan railway between Las Piedras and Bella Vista (now Station Lorenzo Carnelli, now amalgamated to Montevideo ) July 16 was extended to the city of Montevideo. The first railway line itself had been two years earlier opened on 1 January 1869 between the two stations. The station was located at the intersection Sur- Oeste de Orillas del Plata (now Calle Galicia ) and Calle del Río Negro.
The first building was replaced by a two-story building in Calle Río Negro ( between today's Calle La Paz and Calle Valparaiso ) in 1874, since only this year the railway line was laid in their final position. The station had to today's Calle Paraguay a freight platform and and a single platform for passenger trains.
Opening of the new
On December 14, 1891, the station building was completely destroyed by fire. Then resolved the Ferrocarril Central to build a new station at the same location. The railway company commissioned the architect Luis Andreoni with the construction. The work began for 1892, on 27 August 1893, the cornerstone was laid for the new station building. Andreoni designed a railhead on the European model in eclectic style with a crossbar and two parallel to the tracks station wings. The 47 meter by 120 meter hall roof of the station was not completely glazed, but are largely covered with zinc plates. On June 23, 1897, the Ferrocarril Central officially opened the station, the train operation took the railway company on 15 July of the same year. 1930 pulled the ticket counter, still were at the time outside the station on Calle Río Negro, in the great concourse after a large restaurant had moved out.
On 31 January 1949, the nationalization of the Uruguayan railways was commemorated by a plaque in the station before this in 1952 with the union of the Ferrocarril Central del Uruguay ( FCCU ) and the Ferrocarriles y Tranvías del Estado ( RTD) in the Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado (AFE ) could be completed. 1955 named the Uruguayan State Government the train station, which until then simply Estación Central was named in honor of the national hero of Uruguay, José Artigas, in Estación Central José Artigas order. In 1974 this was changed to Estación Central General Artigas. By decision 1097/975 of 8 July 1975, the station as a National Monument ( Monumento Histórico Nacional) was classified. With the inclusion of the express train operation using the whole- Mavag trains and the platform hall was modernized in 1977.
Wide design to closure
After January 2, 1988, all the passenger trains were discontinued, the AFE uses the platform hall for various exhibitions, while the administrative offices and the freight terminal were still being used at a normal degree. After 1991 first special trains ran in different parts of the country, began on 25 August 1993, a suburban railway hull operation between the main station and 25 de Agosto.
In 1996, a part of the freight terminal was sold to the ANTEL, which was built on that site parts of the complex to the Torre de las Comunicaciones. In 1998 the state sold the station building to Banco Hipotecario del Uruguay, as the whole area was part of the new plan Fénix. This plan Fénix saw an urbanization plan for the northern part of the center around the central station in front of the building was to be converted into a cultural shopping center, parts of the existing freight terminals in a large supermarket. Since the plan was provided in the main station not a railway, began in 1999 the construction of a replacement station 500 meters to the north of the station. After numerous construction defects and delays the replacement railway station with three tracks resumed operation on March 1, 2003. Since then, was and is the old main station out of service and without siding. Since 2003 the Bank of AFE withdrew permission to use the station, had to move the management of AFE. At the same time the closure brought numerous disadvantages. Firstly, the Uruguayan railway went through the significantly larger distance to the center more than 100,000 passengers per year lost, also had to manage new ( rented ) premises to be searched and the freight to the Uruguayan capital delayed regularly since then, it is no longer enough erecting - and are Abladeflächen for freight cars. Because of the Uruguayan banking crisis in 2002 the "Plan Fénix " was not completed until today.
In February 2007, the station was once again connected to the national railway network. Late 2008, the station run-up was made in order to accommodate traffic turn towards the neighboring port can. To date, an Uruguayan civil association fights for the reactivation of the railway station, but has been unable to push through with their request itself. Various plans for re- use of the station, including the seat of the Uruguayan Intendentenkongresses, have failed so far. From numerous pages of the neglect of the former main railway station of the Uruguayan capital is seen as symptomatic of the state of the rail network in Uruguay.