| Work Detail |
It has not worked since May 2018 due to work to raise the tracks. The Paternal, which is also still inactive, is more advanced. The work that never ends: what is missing before the Villa Crespo station of the San Martín train is reopened The Villa Crespo station of the San Martín train and the wait for the works to resume to reopen it. Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia In the route of the San Martín Railway there are three works that are delayed and that generate enormous inconvenience and setbacks for the users of this service. They are the ones that are pending in the stations of La Paternal, Palermo and Villa Crespo. On the first two, the Ministry of Transport of the Nation assured that the works are well advanced. It is expected that in a short time there will be news about it. However, what is happening with the Villa Crespo station is worrying. Why? Because in recent days it was possible to see in images shared by users on social networks that the station is now completely peeled. There are no benches, billboards, shelters and any kind of infrastructure. But nothing is seen that anticipates the arrival of a new work. Just a dump truck and two mounds of tile. From the Ministry of Transportation they gave details to Clarín about how the situation is at the station. What can be seen from the formations is the result of a cleaning job. «It started from the bottom and the work continued upwards, until reaching the platform. This is what users see when they pass by the station. When the national State took control of the work, it was met with tremendous abandonment. And before starting the work that is pending, it was necessary to do this cleaning, they explained. Despite the fact that the work on the San Martín Viaduct was inaugurated in July 2019, the works at the La Paternal and Villa Crespo stations were abandoned. The first has not worked since September 2017 and the second, since May 2018. On the one hand, this Viaduct work started with the macrista management in Nación; Due to agreements with the Buenos Aires administration, the work was delegated, but the contractor went bankrupt and remained unfinished. The La Paternal station of the San Martín train is advanced and could reopen in the coming weeks. The La Paternal station of the San Martín train is advanced and could reopen in the coming weeks. They were the companies Green SA and Rottio SA, which stopped paying subcontractors. The City terminated the link a few months after the viaduct was inaugurated and AUSA (the City company that manages the highways) carried out small maintenance works. Only at the end of last year, the Nation and the City managed to reach an agreement to transfer the works, evaluate the state of the stations and call for a tender. In the case of Villa Crespo, the ministry confirmed to Clarín that the award act was signed “in mid-May and it is estimated that work will begin in mid-June. In six months the station should be finished. The works will be carried out by a temporary joint venture (UTE) made up of the companies Tecma and Riva. They have ahead of them the task of finishing the entrances and lobbies, the stairs, platforms, shelters, signage and furniture; sanitary, electrical, audio and video surveillance installations. Also, complete work on ticket offices and operational buildings. And replace escalator motors, which were damaged by neglect, as well as some elevator components. La Paternal station had better luck than Villa Crespo; the works are more advanced and although the start-up date has not been confirmed, it is expected to take place in a few weeks. Other chapters of this story is the main access to the Palermo station. It does not have to do directly with the work of the San Martín Viaduct, but with accessibility works (which were carried out after the inauguration of the elevation of the tracks). This access, on Avenida Santa Fe, has been closed since May 2020. As explained by ADIF -the national state company that manages the railway infrastructure- it is due to leaks that derive from the storm drains of Puente Pacífico. The Villa Crespo station of the San Martín train, waiting for the works to resume to reopen it after four years. The Villa Crespo station of the San Martín train, waiting for the works to resume to reopen it after four years. Regarding this work, from Transportation they indicated that it is in the last details. It is expected to be enabled in the coming weeks. As this main access is closed, users of the train who want to connect with Line D of the subway must travel more than 200 meters. It happens that currently the only authorized access is located on Juan B. Justo, two blocks from Avenida Santa Fe. It is a narrower access and traffic jams are created during peak hours. Source: Clarin |
