Work starts to rescue the old train station and convert it to a modern green space…
WITH THE planned removal of 52 boxcars and 15 locomotives began the recovery of eight hectares of land called “La Plancha” to build the Meridano “Central Park,” a long-sought goal based on sentiments and needs of society.
The space will house the University of Arts of Yucatan, the Museum of Light, recreational and wooded areas, with an investment of 130 million pesos, said the Technical Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (Seplan), Guillermo Cortés González.
During an event held at La Plancha held Feb. 8, which was headed by Governor Rolando Zapata Bello, Cortés González explained that the work is based on a Master Plan, being the commitment of the state administration of eight hectares covering the staging yards, the Railway Museum area and the softball park, in a first stage.
The project is divided into four areas: a) area of culture and art, where will be built the new University of the Arts, b) Museums, preserving the Railway Museum, as well as the construction of the Museum of Light in alliance with UNAM, c) Green Corridor and d) Multiple Use Area.
It should be remembered that the space served for many years as the loading and unloading yards for formation of trains, which generated the accumulation of boxcars, vans, gondolas, locomotives and 15 thousand tons of discarded iron material.
This equipment and the discarded materials are expected to be transferred to the dead zone of the Railway Operations Center (COF) located in Poxilá, Uman.
For his part, Gustavo Baca Villanueva, director of Railways of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, highlighted that this important project will preserve La Plancha’s urban, environmental and cultural value.
Zapata Bello promised to work very hard until the last day of his administration consolidating this great space for residents and for all Meridanos.
He pointed out that this work will encourage daily tourist activities thanks to the planned park’s strategic location near the Plaza Grande and the Paseo de Montejo, allowing the formation of an important circuit.
“The great theme of a park in” La Plancha “is something we’ve heard for many years. Well today, today it has certainty and clarity in the future,” he said.
By Punto Medio: Jesús Gómez and Fernando Galaz
Photos: Juliana Sepúlveda
