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Central do Brasil
View of the station
General information
Location	Praça Cristiano Ottoni Centro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil
Coordinates	22°54′12.29″S 43°11′29.20″W / 22.9034139°S 43.1914444°W / -22.9034139; -43.1914444
Owned by	Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro
Operated by	SuperVia
Platforms	Island and side platforms
Connections	1   2  [REDACTED]  2   3  Américo Mourano Road Terminal
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Architectural style	Art deco
Other information
Station code	CBL/DPO
History
Opened	29 March 1858; 166 years ago (1858-03-29)
Rebuilt	1943; 82 years ago (1943)
Electrified	1937; 88 years ago (1937)
Previous names	Estação do Campo Estação da Corte Estação Dom Pedro II
Services
Preceding station SuperVia Following station Terminus Deodoro Praça da Bandeiratowards Deodoro Santa Cruz São Cristóvãotowards Santa Cruz Japeri São Cristóvãotowards Japeri Belford Roxo São Cristóvãotowards Belford Roxo Saracuruna São Cristóvãotowards Saracuruna
Out-of-system interchange Preceding station Rio de Janeiro Metro Following station Praça Onzetowards Uruguai Line 1 Presidente Vargastowards General Osório Cidade Novatowards Pavuna Line 2 Presidente Vargastowards Botafogo
Location Central do BrasilLocation within Rio de JaneiroShow map of Rio de JaneiroCentral do BrasilCentral do Brasil (Brazil)Show map of Brazil

Estação Central do Brasil (Portuguese pronunciation: [is.taˈsɐ̃w̃ sẽˈtɾaw du bɾaˈziw]) is a major train station in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The station is located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, along the Avenida Presidente Vargas and across from the Campo de Santana park. It is one of the most famous train stations in Brazil, and was previously called Estação Dom Pedro II, a name by which it is still also known unofficially.

The station is the last stop of Rio de Janeiro's suburban railway network, as well as a hub for connection with the city subway and a bus station. Central do Brasil was also a preeminent stop in the interstate Central do Brasil railroad, which linked Rio de Janeiro with São Paulo and Minas Gerais, though the railroad is now deactivated.

The station opened in 1858, and the current station building in the Art Deco style opened in 1943.

History

The construction of the first station in the centre of Rio de Janeiro began in 1855, to serve as the terminus of the new Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II (Dom Pedro II Railway) which was to connect the city, then the capital of Brazil, with the provinces of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The location chosen for this station was the Campo de Santana, an area close to the city center and at the time the site of many government buildings. Its construction necessitated the demolition of the Igreja de Santa Ana (Church of Saint Anne) dating from 1735, but a wooden image of the saint, originating from Portugal, can still be found in a chapel at the station. The station, then known as the Estação do Campo due to its location, was opened along with the first section of the railway line from Rio de Janeiro to Queimados in March 1858 in the presence of Emperor Pedro II, Empress Teresa Christine and the bishop. The name of the station was shortly afterwards changed to Estação da Corte, in reference to the Imperial Court.

Already in 1870, the station was renovated and enlarged following a project by Jorge Grademaker Grunewald, in order to accommodate the growing number of passengers living in the new suburban districts served by the train. The project preserved the appearance of the old station building with a central building flanked by two large side wings and had a station clock in the centre. From 1876 to 1880, new warehouses were built under the direction of Francisco Pereira Passos. On 21 November 1879, electric lighting was installed in the station as a first for a public building in Brazil. In 1906, one of the wings was destroyed by fire.

In 1908, at the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the inauguration of the station, projects were launched to build a new station, which, however, were not carried out. In 1919, other projects for a new station were launched due to the development of coffee production at the beginning of the 20th century. Another new project was presented in 1922 by the architects Samuel and Cristiano das Neves, but was not developed. On 2 December 1925, by decree of the then President of Brazil Artur da Silva Bernardes, the station was renamed Estaçao Dom Pedro II (Dom Pedro II Station) in honour of Emperor Pedro II at the occasion of the centenary of his birth in 1825.

Finally, work on a new station started in 1936. The cornerstone was laid on 29 March 1936, but the project by Roberto Magno de Carvalho was largely modified after the start of the construction. From 1937, the new authoritarian regime in Brazil, the Estado Novo, undertook major works in Rio de Janeiro, in particular the construction of new buildings for public institutions, and the widening and opening of streets, including the creation of the Avenida Presidente Vargas and ambitions for a much larger train station. The task of preparing a new building project for the station was entrusted to the architectural firm of the British architect Robert Prentice which concluded the altered project on 29 November 1937. The old station building was demolished in 1939, and the new station building in Art Deco style (which also served as the seat of the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil) opened in 1943, and was completed in 1945.

On 5 March 1979, the station was connected to Line 1 of the Rio de Janeiro Metro.

After passenger traffic on medium and long-distance routes in Brazil was practically stopped in the 1990s, Central do Brasil now serves as a terminus and hub for Rio de Janeiro's suburban trains operated by SuperVia.

Since 2014, the station has also been served by the Teleférico da Providência, a gondola lift service connecting it with the neighborhood of Providência.

Architecture

The Art Deco-style building features a twenty-eight-story tower and a large four-sided clock. The station is visible from almost every part of the city and at the time of construction it was the tallest building in South America and the tallest reinforced concrete structure in the world.

Layout

v t e Track layout
Legend
13121110987654321 platform numbers to Praça da Bandeira to São Cristóvão

In popular culture

In cinema

The film Central Station, by Walter Salles, is set in the station of the same name.

Gallery

• Former building of the Estação Dom Pedro II, 1889
• Former building of the Estação Dom Pedro II, 1906
• Former building of the Estação Dom Pedro II, 1910s
• Building of Central do Brasil, 1957
• Trains at Central do Brasil, 1979

References

1. "Central - Sobre a Estação". MetrôRio. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
2. "Igreja de Santa Ana". Memória histórica da Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
3. ^ "Central do Brasil" (in Brazilian Portuguese). SuperVia. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
4. ^ Memória do Trem, ed. (2004). A formação das estradas de ferro no Rio de Janeiro : O resgate da sua memória (in Portuguese). pp. 28–31. ISBN 85-86094-07-2.
5. ^ Cornejo, Carlos (2005). As ferrovias do Brasil nos cartões-postais e álbuns de lembranças (in Portuguese). Solaris Editorial. p. 21. ISBN 978-85-89820-02-8.
6. Bosco Setti, João (2008). Brazilian railroads (in Portuguese and English). Memória do Trem. p. 41. ISBN 978-85-86094-09-5.
7. "SuperVia" (in Portuguese and English). SuperVia. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
8. "Favela mais antiga do Rio ganha teleférico". Estadão (in Portuguese). 2 July 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
9. Flávia, David (2 July 2014). "Prefeitura inaugura o teleférico do Morro da Providência" (in Portuguese). Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
10. de Bias, Mauro (1 August 2012). "O Big Ben dos trópicos" (in Portuguese). Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
11. McCarthy, Todd (8 February 1998). "Central Station". Variety. Retrieved 31 January 2024.

External links

• Central do Brasil at supervia.com.br
• Central do Brasil/Centro at metrorio.com.br
• Photo Album of the Brazilian Railroads

v t e Metrô Rio
Line 1 - Orange	Uruguai / Tijuca Saens Peña / Tijuca São Francisco Xavier / Tijuca Afonso Pena / Tijuca Estácio (Line 2 specials) Praça Onze Central do Brasil / Centro Saara / Presidente Vargas Uruguaiana / Centro Carioca / Centro Cinelândia / Centro Glória Catete Largo do Machado Flamengo Botafogo Cardeal Arcoverde / Copacabana Siqueira Campos / Copacabana Cantagalo / Copacabana General Osório / Ipanema
Line 2 - Green	Pavuna Engenheiro Rubens Paiva Acari/Fazenda Botafogo Coelho Neto Colégio Irajá Vicente de Carvalho Thomaz Coelho Engenho da Rainha Inhaúma Nova América/Del Castilho Maria da Graça Triagem Maracanã São Cristóvão Cidade Nova Central do Brasil / Centro Saara / Presidente Vargas Uruguaiana / Centro Carioca / Centro Cinelândia / Centro Glória Catete Largo do Machado Flamengo Botafogo
Line 4 - Yellow	General Osório / Ipanema Nossa Senhora da Paz / Ipanema Jardim de Alah / Leblon Antero de Quental / Leblon Gávea São Conrado Jardim Oceânico / Barra da Tijuca
List of Rio de Janeiro metro stations

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• Line 1 (Rio de Janeiro)
• Metrô Rio stations
• SuperVia stations
• Art Deco architecture in Brazil
• Transport infrastructure completed in 1937
• National heritage sites of Rio de Janeiro (state)
• Railway stations in Brazil opened in 1858
• South American railway station stubs
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