Mar del Plata railway station

Mar del Plata
Regional
Station platforms in 2008.
Location	Av. Pedro Luro 4400, Mar del Plata Argentina
Coordinates	37°59′17″S 57°33′58″W / 37.9880°S 57.5661°W / -37.9880; -57.5661Coordinates: 37°59′17″S 57°33′58″W / 37.9880°S 57.5661°W / -37.9880; -57.5661
Owned by	Government of Argentina
Operated by	BA Southern R (1886-1948) Ferrocarriles Argentinos (1948-1993) Ferrobaires (1993-2011)
Line(s)	Roca
Distance	400 km (250 mi) from Buenos Aires
History
Opened	1886
Closed	2011; 6 years ago (2011)

Mar del Plata (also known as "Mar del Plata Norte") is a former railway station in the homonymous city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Opened in 1886, the station was closed when the new railway and bus terminal was opened in 2011.

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.

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

By 1910 Mar del Plata was the main beach city of Argentina, receiving a huge number of tourists 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. In 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 residents' committee (led by Mar del Plata pioneer Pedro Luro) opposed the old station being demolished, requesting its preservation. Percy Clarke, manager of the company had to accept the residents' 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 residents demanded that the station should be located far from the most populated areas of the city. Eventually, the BAGSR agreed to build the new station where the neighbours had demanded.

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 extend 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.