Have you ever heard of the “ghost stations” of the São Paulo Metro? Foreseen back in the 1960s, in the city’s first subway line projects, the works were never completed and ended up being abandoned for various reasons. Learn about some of these stories below.
Abandoned metro stations in São Paulo
Pedro II Station
If you’ve ever traveled from Itaquera to Barra Funda on Line 3-Vermelha, you’re certainly familiar with Pedro II station. What many people don’t know, however, is that it should be even more useful to São Paulo residents.
The initial idea was for the station to also cover the southeast-southwest branch, i.e. the current Line 4-Yellow. The state government even built the boarding platform, which was inaugurated and currently serves as a depot. That’s because the Metrô’s planners took the line in a different direction, removing Pedro II station from the itinerary.
Moema branch line
Another project left aside was the construction of the Moema branch line at Paraíso station. The idea was to connect lines 1-Azul and 2-Verde to Moema, with tracks built parallel to Avenida 23 de Maio.
The idea didn’t come to fruition, even though about 200 meters of the branch line had already been built. The platforms and tunnels that would have served the line can still be seen inside the station, like a “ghost memory” of the project.
Viaducts
Even before the metro was founded in 1968, there were plans to build tracks in São Paulo. In the 1950s, then mayor Prestes Maia designed roads that would connect the city center to the city’s outskirts. To this end, he built viaducts over the city to meet the demand, with space for trains inside.
One of them is located on Pedroso Street, in the Liberdade district. The sidewalk, which was supposed to house a station that was never built, currently serves as a shelter for homeless people.
Also in the mix is the Dona Paulina viaduct, which has windows in its structure that indicate the possible use of the structure for a station.
República Station
To end the list, a success story: the three ghost platforms at República station. Built under Paulo Maluf, they were abandoned in 1983 and “forgotten” until 2004. After that, they were demolished to start work on the current Line 4-Yellow.
How nice it would be if all the projects that had been put aside were finally used to improve the metro system, wouldn’t it? Instead, we can see that they have sometimes become nothing more than “ghost stations” with structures left to weather.