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Park Station

Corner Rissik and Leyds street
Braamfontein

The station, in the heart of the city, has mirrored the changing character of South Africa over the past 100 years. The refurbished Park Station is a central point for many commuters, connecting them to various other stations throughout Gauteng. It is the busiest in southern Africa, and attracts over 300,000 commuters, long-distance travellers, tourists, and shoppers who go through its facilities every day.

Former President Nelson Mandela gave a speech at the opening of the redeveloped Park Station in 1997 and unveiled the plaque after proclaiming a landmark achievement of the country's new democracy. During his address, Mandela had the following to say, "The station itself became a symbol of a divided Johannesburg, cut in two by a river of steel made up of railway lines and unfriendly buildings. The Park Station we are launching today tells a very different story. The signs of its apartheid past are well and truly buried. It is a real contribution to the de racialisation of our society. It is a part of the construction and development of South and southern Africa; it is a part of the rebirth of Africa."

The station also provides a great advertising medium, with many advertising boards ensuring maximum exposure to their brands. The main concourse at the station boasts a massive 28m x 3.5m billboard.

The unused passages in the bowels of the station have not seen the light of day for over 50 years. This humid but otherwise stable environment has allowed these paper posters to live on as self preserved macabre art forms in the deep dark dungeons of Park Station.

Click here to see the posters: www.architectafrica.com/bin1/johannesburg_station.html

For more info on train schedules, visit www.intersite.co.za.