Where's the train? A critical look at the conservation status of the railway yard at Estação Nova in Campina Grande-PB

Abstract

This paper has as its object of study the railway yard at Estação Nova de Campina Grande, a city located in the rural region of Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil. Built between 1957 and 1961, the yard operated for decades and was part of the cargo and passenger transport line between the states of Paraíba and Pernambuco, the privatization of RFFSA/Rede Ferroviária Federal SA in 1996 culminated in its abandonment, which continues to the present day. The text aims to present the experiences and investigations that are being developed by the Architecture and Place/Grupal research group, linked to the architecture and urbanism course at the Federal University of Campina Grande - in favor of the rescue and protection of the heritage of the railway architectural and urban complex. The approach to this theme is justified considering that since the beginning of the 21st century, the area has been looted and in litigation between the federal and municipal governments, which for years refused to accept the possession of this railway heritage, alleging lack of resources to manage it, but which now, in 2021, has signaled the desire to own the area. The methodology is based on a line of investigation that develops research with a qualitative approach, of an applied nature, with exploratory and descriptive objectives (GIL, 2008); in its procedures, bibliographic, documental and field investigations are brought up, which can be classified as experimental research. This part of the assumption disseminated by Serra (2006), which understands the study of the architectural object as a process, which dialogues with a system that surrounds it, composed of geographic, historical, social, cultural, economic and political aspects. This research considers the fundamental importance of interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity in these areas of knowledge.