A rodoviária fica longe, então eu prefiro pegar o trem até o centro.

No. Rodoviária is a bus terminal or long-distance bus station. In Brazil, it usually refers to the place where intercity or interstate buses arrive and depart.

So:

• rodoviária = bus terminal
• estação de trem = train station
• estação de metrô = subway/metro station

The word comes from rodovia, meaning highway.

Because rodoviária is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the feminine singular definite article a.

• a rodoviária
• a estação
• a cidade

Portuguese uses articles more often than English does, especially with places and everyday nouns. So A rodoviária fica longe sounds natural, while dropping the article would usually sound incomplete in normal speech.

Yes, you could also say é longe.

Both are natural, but they give slightly different feels:

• fica longe = is located far away
• é longe = is far

In this sentence, fica emphasizes location a bit more. It is very common when talking about where a place is.

Examples:

• A rodoviária fica longe.
• A rodoviária é longe.

Both work in Brazilian Portuguese, though many speakers may prefer one or the other depending on region and style.

Here, então means so, therefore, or in that case.

It connects the two ideas:

• the bus terminal is far away
• because of that, the speaker prefers to take the train

So então is acting as a logical connector.

It can also mean then in other contexts, but here the best idea is so.

Not strictly.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• prefiro already means I prefer

So both are natural:

• então eu prefiro pegar o trem
• então prefiro pegar o trem

Including eu can add:

• emphasis
• clarity
• a more deliberate rhythm

So it is optional here, not wrong.

Because preferir can be followed directly by an infinitive.

The pattern is:

• preferir + infinitive

So:

• prefiro pegar o trem
• prefiro sair cedo
• prefiro ficar em casa

This is different from verbs like gostar, which usually need a preposition:

• gosto de viajar
• gosto de ler

So prefiro de pegar would be incorrect.

Literally, pegar often means to take, to get, to grab, or to catch, depending on context.

With transportation, pegar is extremely common in Brazilian Portuguese. So:

• pegar o trem = take the train / catch the train
• pegar o ônibus = take the bus
• pegar o metrô = take the subway

This is one of the most natural verbs Brazilians use for public transportation.

Another possible way to express a similar idea would be:

• prefiro ir de trem

That means I prefer to go by train.

Because Portuguese often uses the definite article with nouns in contexts where English does not.

So pegar o trem is the most natural way to say take the train in this sentence.

Compare:

• pegar o trem
• pegar o ônibus
• pegar o metrô

In some contexts, a bare noun can appear, but here o trem sounds more complete and natural.

Até o centro means up to the center / as far as downtown.

It emphasizes the endpoint of the trip.

• até o centro = up to downtown
• para o centro = to downtown
• ao centro = to the center, but less natural in this exact sentence in Brazilian Portuguese

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, both até o centro and para o centro can work, but they are not exactly identical:

• pegar o trem até o centro focuses on how far the train goes
• pegar o trem para o centro focuses more simply on destination

So até o centro is very natural if the idea is that the train takes you as far as downtown.

Here, o centro usually means downtown or the city center.

In Brazilian cities, centro often refers to the main commercial or historical central area, not necessarily the exact geometric middle of the city.

So when someone says:

• vou ao centro
• o trem vai até o centro

they usually mean downtown.

A simple approximate guide for Brazilian Portuguese:

• rodoviária → roughly ho-do-vee-AH-ree-a
• então → roughly en-TAU, with a nasal ending
• trem → roughly trein, but with a nasal sound, not a full English n

A few pronunciation notes:

• The r at the beginning of rodoviária is usually a strong Brazilian r, often similar to an English h sound.
• The accented á in rodoviária shows the stressed syllable.
• The ão in então is one of the classic nasal sounds in Portuguese.
• trem also ends in a nasal sound.

If you want to sound more natural, the nasal vowels in então and trem are especially important.

Yes, a few variations are natural.

For example:

• A rodoviária fica longe, então prefiro pegar o trem até o centro.
• Como a rodoviária fica longe, eu prefiro pegar o trem até o centro.
• Prefiro pegar o trem até o centro, porque a rodoviária fica longe.

These all express basically the same idea, but with slightly different emphasis.

The original sentence is very natural and clear. It simply presents:

1. the situation
2. the consequence or preference