CentraldoBrasil-livesonarailroad

Central do Brasil is one of the country's most famous train stations. The first building, from 1858, inaugurated the Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II. The "Estação do Campo" was called this way for being located close to Campo de Santana. Over time, it came to be called estação da Corte, in reference to the Imperial Court. Later on it was named "Estação Dom Pedro II," honoring the Emperor.

Image description: The image is a painting depicting a train building located in front of a hill. On the left side, we see a structure with several windows and doors, possibly a train station. On the right, there is another similar building, also with many windows and doors. Both are arranged parallel to the hill. In front of the buildings, there are people walking and horse-drawn carriages. The hill in the background is covered with green vegetation. In the lower right corner, it reads "ESTAÇÃO DE FERRO."

After the proclamation of the Republic, the new government dissociated the railway's name from the former sovereign, and the Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II was renamed Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil. The station then came to be called Central do Brasil, becoming internationally recognized thanks to the film starring actress Fernanda Montenegro, set at the station.

Railway Origins

In 1858, the then Estação da Corte was opened. The inaugural ride, with a route of 47 kilometers, was taken by the imperial family and had the Queimados station, in Baixada Fluminense, as its destination. Initially, the railroad was made up of 10 locomotives, 40 passenger cars and 100 freight cars.

The old Igreja de Santana, opened in 1735 and located near the field that bore the same name (Campo de Santana), was demolished for the construction of the station. In 1840, the then regent of the Empire, Marquês de Olinda, considered the old church unfit, as he believed the Matriz de Santa Ana should be more majestic, moving to a more spacious location. Thus, due to the need for land for the railway station that would connect the Empire's most prosperous provinces -- Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais -- the church was demolished and, in its place, the Estação do Campo was built.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a square in a rural setting. On the left side, we see several low buildings, possibly houses or public buildings. In front of them, there is a small structure covered with red tiles. In the center of the image, there is a church with a tower and dome, standing out for its height. On the right, there are a few more smaller buildings and a hill covered with green vegetation. In the background, the landscape continues with more hills and trees. In the lower part of the image, we see people walking and interacting, some of them near pack animals, such as donkeys.

The 1858 building was renovated years later, and in the 1930s it was demolished to make way for the construction of the current building and expansion works on the railway system. The new building was inaugurated in 1943, with more than 30 floors and 135 meters in height. The façade also features one of the largest four-faced clocks in the world.

Image description: This is a photograph of a building with a tower located in a public space. On the left side, we see a low, rectangular building. In the center, there is a tall, elegant tower with many windows arranged vertically. On the right, there is another building similar in height, but less detailed. In the foreground, there are green trees and a paved area. The sky is clear and blue. There is no visible text in the image.

Currently, due to security crises and negligence on the part of public agencies, Central do Brasil has stopped being an inspiring place. However, the history of this place remains important, especially in the lives of those who pass through the station daily.

Serving the Deodoro, Japeri, Belford Roxo, Santa Cruz, and Saracuruna lines, the Central do Brasil station enables people's transportation, whether for work or tourism. Inside the station there are several shops, which also makes it possible for many Brazilians who work there to earn their living.

Personal Accounts

Below, we report on some interviews conducted on 10/18/2021 with people who work at or pass through Central1, with the aim of learning about other perspectives on this historic site as well as the various everyday experiences2.

Ariel (Health Management Student):

The historical significance of Central and the clock on the outside are aspects that catch the interviewee's attention. She spends 1 hour inside the train and feels very tired from the trip. One striking story she witnessed inside the train was a fight that broke out among the passengers, a situation she also witnessed at the Manguinhos station.

Paulo (Central lunch counter manager):

What catches his attention is the large flow of people, each with their own ethnicity and religion - which he considers a positive point. On the negative side, he points to the number of homeless people who spend most of their time at Central and have no government support.

Paulo also finds it interesting that the station is a listed cultural heritage site, and he states that, because of this, he can't drill into his snack bar's wall, for example. He told us that the floor of Central is listed as well. He said that there he gains a lot of life experience with the young people who work at the establishment and with the youths living on the streets, such as the case of a young man who stays at Central for the support and food he receives from people, since, if he were outside of there, he could be mistreated by the police.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the snack bar where Paulo works was one of the few that stayed open, and it was during that period that he started working there. He told us that before the pandemic Central used to be very crowded and that now, by 7 p.m., there are no more customers. He said he used to make a lot of savory snacks to sell and that nowadays he doesn't even sell half of that. For him, Central represents the "daily bread" - not only his, but that of many who work there. He said that if his boss closes the snack bars, many people will end up unemployed.

As a manager, he told us how difficult it is to fire an employee. As an example, he said it's easy to let go an employee who arrived late. However, he stated that besides being a manager, you have to be a bit of a psychologist and understand the employees' problems, emphasizing how many complicated cases there are. He concluded with the following sentence: "It's not just an employee, there's a whole story behind it."

Paulo pointed to the space where he was standing and said that people think Central do Brasil is “just that,” but in fact it represents many life stories. He described how important he considers it to treat homeless people well, including for his own safety. He recommended two films to us: “Central do Brasil” and “Trash.”

As an experience, they reported how much people don't notice others. They told the story of a young woman who works at the ticket booth, doesn't have an arm, is very quick at her job, but that nobody notices, and how many customers treat these employees badly. They said that people's problem is being in a hurry, so much so that their boss says: "serve the customer well and quickly"; because these are customers who don't have time - they either go before work or after their shift.

Cláudia (SuperVia employee):

Cláudia knows the history of Central Station, and what catches her attention the most is the clock tower. She said that among the memorable stories she has witnessed are successful marriage proposals, but also a "no" that resulted in a good relationship.

She has worked at Supervia for 6 years, and said it's a bit stressful and that there they witness everything, from the beggar to the foreigner out sightseeing. For her, Central do Brasil is where she earns her living, it's the place where she gathers life experiences and where she observes how we are nothing and, at the same time, everything. She told us about the diversity of people who pass through the station: from the street sweeper to the lawyer, from the rich to the poor.

The interviewee reported that train users think they can get away with anything, but when they go to the subway, they transform themselves and act with more respect toward others. She also said that there she sees injustices, but also people helping each other.

Roberto (newsstand owner):

Roberto told us a story he experienced at Central: during a protest where they threw pepper spray near the establishment where he worked, he said he felt very sick and that two people, wanting to help, bought Coca-Cola to see if it would make the effect of the pepper spray go away. "Pepper spray makes you feel like you're going to die," Roberto said. The effect of the gas was so strong that he thought he wasn't going to survive: "I'm alive, but I thought I was going to die."

Gabriella (passerby):

Gabriella says that the most memorable story she experienced at Central was when she was mistaken for a sex worker. She was standing in a spot outside the station and didn't know it was a prostitution spot. The young woman had to run inside because a woman accused her of "stealing her spot" and threatened to stab her. She said she finds the station organized and notices a great cultural diversity.

Isadora and Mayara (candy shop saleswomen):

Both of them have worked there for a long time, but they don't know the history of Central. They have already witnessed robberies, demonstrations, fights, and violent actions. But one stands out in the memory of the two of them: a very violent demonstration that took place four years ago, which broke out inside the station.

Felipe (university student):

The young man says that his experiences at Central and his perceptions of the people there are not the best. He sells candy to help pay for college and says: "I've had unforgettable moments, but unfortunately the scenes were horrendous." He criticizes the lack of oversight that leaves room for crime: "thieves, drug addicts, con artists... this place is horrible, it has everything, you even have to be careful with your CPF." However, despite talking about the negative points, he praises Central's structure: "a beautiful setting, a historic place, but unfortunately they're destroying it."

By the end of the interviews, it was moving to notice how the accounts echoed one another, even though the people interviewed didn't know each other. One example is the fact that all the interviewees who provided services at the station complained about constantly being made invisible.

Let's try to reflect for a moment, shall we? Imagine you're an employee at a place with a large flow of people, who pass by in a hurry. You're not seen, only your service is. And your emotions, your mental health? Few people care, and when we say "few," we mean less than 2% of the public you serve. You get cursed at, belittled, ignored, simply because of other people's impatience. Now answer: Would you feel good about that? That is the question.

We chose the Central do Brasil station to reaffirm its importance to public transportation, but also for its history. In this choice, we saw the opportunity to present people with several points of view from a single place, and we dare say we managed to go far beyond that. We captured emotions and energies, which exceeded any expectation.

To conclude, we would like to say that this experience was majestic; we learned a lot during the interviews and the visit to Central do Brasil, but also through theoretical research. It is an honor to take part in the Rio Memórias project, and it was an experience we will carry with us for life.

The names of the interviewees in question are fictitious.

We asked the interviewees the following questions:

Do you know the history of Central do Brasil? What's your relationship with this place? Is there anything physically here that catches your attention? Do you have any story of your own, or one you witnessed here? Do you use the train to get here? If so, how much time do you spend on it? Was there anything that happened along the train route that stood out to you, positively or negatively?