Como San Giovanni is the last Italian station on the line to Chiasso, and therefore fulfils the functions of a border station. However, border checks have not been carried out there since 2008, when Switzerland joined the Schengen Agreement.[citation needed]
Como San Giovanni railway station is situated in Piazzale San Gottardo, a 15-minute walk from the city centre.
History
The station was opened on 27 July 1875, upon the inauguration of the Albate–Como section of the Milan–Chiasso railway.[1]
Features
The current passenger building was built after the destruction of World War II, to a design of Paolo Perilli. It was inaugurated in 1949. A structure in brick on two levels (of which only the ground floor is accessible to travellers), it consists of three sections joined by a glass wall that provides much of the lighting inside the central hall. It is also attached to shelters facing the station yard.
Inside the station yard, there are five through tracks, including four for use by passengers. There are also three dock platforms on the south side of the station (used as the terminus of the line to Lecco) and two on the north side.
Each of the four through tracks dedicated to passenger transport has a platform covered by a concrete shelter. The platforms are connected with each other by a covered walkway and elevators. Track 1 is faced by the main platform, and tracks 2 and 3 by an island platform. Track 4 is seldom used, but is accessible to passengers via a small platform between tracks 3 and 4. To get to that platform, it is necessary to cross track 3.
There is also another track to the north serving the Como railway post office, and, to the south, two tracks connecting the station with its goods yard and the headquarters of the Customs Agency.
In 2008, work was completed on a facelift of the station co-financed by Centostazioni and RFI. The project cost 1 million euros, and was subject to cultural heritage constraints. The renovations included the following: restoration and maintenance of buildings, the addition of new businesses dedicated to travelers, the adaptation of plants to legal requirements, removal of architectural barriers, installation of tactile paving for the vision impaired, renovation of public conveniences and the construction of new lifts.
Passenger and train movements
The station has about 1.5 million passenger movements each year.[2]
Como San Giovanni is, for customs purposes, a border station for passengers arriving from Switzerland. Customs checks may be performed in the station. Systematic passport controls were abolished when Switzerland joined the Schengen Area in 2008.[4][5]
^"Flussi Annui nelle 103 Stazioni" [Annual flows at the 103 stations]. Centostazioni website (in Italian). Centostazioni. Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
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