Recovery of the San Pedro Cholula railway station, Digi Mart USA News (San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, Mexico): Several years ago, attention was drawn to the fact that the railway station in San Pedro Cholula had been converted into a nightclub. Established in the 19th century, the station reached its peak in the following century before it was closed in 1996, a consequence of the privatization of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México.
The site, owned by the federal government, was occupied by a private individual who, in 2007, claimed it as his own on Avenida Morelos, between Avenida 2 Oriente and Calle 6 Norte. There he established a restaurant called “La Vía,” which was followed by a nightclub and later one of the so-called convenience stores, with no action taken by the municipal council, the state government or the federal government to stop it.
As far as is known, the assets that belonged to Ferronales are or should be overseen by the Servicio de Administración y Enajenación de Bienes (SAE), which should have determined whether permission for the occupation of the plot of more than 1,000 square meters was granted or denied.
On October 25, local deputy María Fernanda de la Barreda Angón presented a point of agreement urging the Instituto para Devolver al Pueblo lo Robado, in its functions regarding Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México en Liquidación, and the Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes to conduct a documentary review of the property, administration, disincorporation, if any, adjudication, sale and transfer history of the properties linked to the former San Pedro Cholula railway station, particularly the operations publicly referenced around 2000 and 2005.
The lawmaker’s appeal also extends to federal, state or municipal authorities who may intervene to protect the heritage. The proposal is to recover the site for cultural and social use in San Pedro.
The column asks how long the requested review will take and who will support such efforts to reclaim the property, noting that the Puebla city railway museum shows such actions are possible.
