Eleven decades of history stand before you. This is the Ex-Estacion Buenos Aires. A modest wooden structure it once was. A temporary solution they called it. Built in 1911 to serve passengers until the grand terminal in Constitucion was complete.
That grand terminal never fully materialized. The Ex-Estacion Buenos Aires however served the city faithfully for 110 years. Imagine the countless journeys it witnessed. Passengers boarding trains destined for Rosario. Others embarking on trips to smaller towns like General Villegas. The station hummed with activity. Five platforms bustled with people. Ticket booths commercial stalls and bustling bars filled the hall.
Two entrances greeted travelers. One faced the line 59 terminal. The other was discreetly tucked away on Olavarria street. It was smaller than other terminals. Yet it played a vital role in Buenos Aires’ transportation network. Its small size was a result of its temporary status. The station however became a permanent fixture for over a century.
In 1961 a connection to the Midland railway added new routes to Henderson and Carhue. The Ex-Estacion Buenos Aires’ reach expanded. Its significance grew. Then came a government decree in 1977. It sealed the fate of the line between Patricios and Victorino de la Plaza. A 225.1 kilometer stretch was closed and dismantled. Slowly other parts of the network fell into disrepair. Ultimately the Carhue branch met the same end.
By 2013 the freight yard was repurposed. It became the site of a ProCreAr project. This housing plan led to construction of 56 buildings. 2396 apartments were built. A park two tennis courts a basketball hoop and two kindergartens also appeared. The transformation was complete by 2019. It included 73 commercial spaces. A large supermarket is now ready to open. A new elementary school is also planned.
Finally in 2018 a 5.6 km viaduct project sealed the Ex-Estacion Buenos Aires’ fate. It was declared unfit for railway operations. Its tracks and sleepers found new life in another renovation project. This involved the stretch between Gonzalez Catan and 20 de Junio stations.
Today a significant portion of the Ex-Estacion Buenos Aires’ grounds belongs to Club Atletico Huracan. They plan a new sports complex. This is intended to promote sports and social activities for the local community. The Ex-Estacion Buenos Aires may be gone. Its memory however lives on in the lives it touched and the city it served for more than a century.