Merida old railway station

The Merida railway station is located on Calle 55 between 48 and 46, not too far from downtown proper. Since passenger rail services stopped in 1997, this neo-Colonial building has been renovated and now houses an art institute, the Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatan.
It is one of the best preserved buildings of its kind and is for this reason worth seeing. The ornate architectural details reflect Moorish influences, and the central tower is especially noteworthy. The old (and only) train station in the city was built between 1913 and 1920 by the English architect Charles J.S. Hall, and is considered perhaps the only example in Merida of the neocolonial style promoted by the government at the time. Not much else can be researched about both the construction and the architect himself.
This building was restored by the state government in 2007 to house the State School of Arts. The land behind the train station, the former switching yard to distribute locomotives and cars to the tracks – known as La Plancha – was completely transformed in 2022. Now, the Gran Parque la Plancha is no longer a concept to transform the 60-acre field. This new park offers relaxing walkways, children’s playground, a large round musical fountian, a lake, large extentions of endemic trees, bike lanes, playing fields, jogging paths, as well as small cafes scattered around.

La Plancha is not related with the new Maya Train Station which is located outside the ringroad, still within the Municpality of Merida, at Teya. The new station is unfortunately located much farther away from the downtown area than the airport.

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