The station's surroundings include the Sótero del Río Hospital, the Josefina Martínez children's hospital, schools, a religious centre, local stores, a supermarket, and the 38th Comisaría de Puente Alto police station. The location of this station makes it useful for patients of both hospitals.
Unusually for an elevated station, the ticket office and concourse are located underground. This is to create extra space due to the large number of commuters travelling through the station.
Etymology
The station takes the name from the hospital,[4] which is named after Sótero del Río Gundián (born in Cauquenes, at March 29, 1900; died in Santiago, Chile, at May 10, 1969). Del Río was a physician, scholar, researcher, entrepreneur, business leader and Chilean politician. He served as Minister of State for the PresidentsJuan Esteban Montero, Juan Antonio Ríos, Gabriel González Videla and Jorge Alessandri. His namesake hospital is the largest in southeastern Santiago, and one of the most important in Santiago.
References
^"Historia" [History]. Metro de Santiago (in Spanish). Metro S.A. Retrieved August 31, 2012.