30 Awe Inspiring European Railway Stations: Part Three

Welcome to the third in a series of articles in which ShowMeTheJourney shines a spotlight on Europe's most incredible railway stations.

how to take a train from and to here

Forgive my clumsy attempt at being metaphorical, but Milano Centrale is a jewel box of a station.
I'm not a huge admirer of its exterior designed by Ulisse Stacchini, but his interior is superbly dramatic.

The passage from street to train involves progressing through a series of halls, each more wonderful than that which preceded it - the station speaks to its travellers and what it says is, "sorry for the need to climb these staircases, but I'll make sure it's worth the effort".
As can be seen above the staircases are wonderfully evocative, but thankfully they're no longer the only means of accessing the trains.

Milano Centrale station is so enormous that the coming of the high speed trains didn’t present a challenge, so the station could retain its sense of being a celebration of the glories of train travel.

All of the trains depart from arrive under the undeniably dramatic glass roofs which span the tracks, though it is these which cast a shadow over the station's history, as they are direct result of an intervention into the station's design by Mussolini.

We have justified Milano Centrale's inclusion as we share the attitude to such matters expressed by the rather marvelous Beauty Of Transport - namely, 'if you can take it as read that finding the terminal interesting isn’t the same thing as approving of the regime which commissioned it, there is much about the building that still impresses'.

how to take a train from and to here

In common with the majority of large British train stations Newcastle serves its 21st century users well, with an easy as can be transition between its entrances and the trains.
It protects its travellers from the elements, provides for their pre-journey needs, uses the latest technology to provide them with information and provides step-free access to the platforms which the trains depart from and arrive at.

But what sets the station formerly known as Newcastle Central apart, is that all of this functionality has been provided for, while preserving the glorious original structure designed by James Dobson and opened in 1850.
His two awe-inspiring core creations, the sinuously curving glass roof and the impressive frontage on Neville Street have thankfully stood the test of time.
The latter has been sympathetically enclosed with glass panels, to keep out the winter winds now that taxis no longer drive through it, but this doesn't detract from Newcastle station pulling off the rare feat of being as magnificent on its exterior, as it is on its interior, used by the trains.

Newcastle station also benefitted from a well-designed expansion in 1896 which seamlessly extended the original structure rather than replacing it, but it is a later enhancement in 1991 that is more remarkable achievement.

Catch a train today from the island of platforms (tracks) numbered 5 - 8, on the far side of the station to the main entrance and it's easy to assume that be you'll using a part of the station which dates back to the Victorian rebuild.
An illusion perpetuated by the glass roof on that side of the station dating back to the 1896, but these platforms were in fact opened as recently in 1991, being built around the existing structure rather than replacing it.

Show MeTheJourney isn't the only admirer of Newcastle station, it's also been singled out for praise by The Beauty of Transport.

how to take a train from and to here

Am pleased to say that SMTJ's guides to using major UK stations guides have now been published so you can now get an idea of how to navigate Paddington station.

I'm honestly not submitting to hometown bias by including three of London's major railway terminals on this list, but Paddington couldn't be set aside.
The station isn't aesthetically perfect, the iconic engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, influenced the design of the station's glass roof, which to this day is largely unaltered since the station's opening in 1854, but the station has never had a spectacular departure hall, ticket office or other associated buildings.

What wows me and we suspect many of my fellow travellers, is that Paddington must be a contender for Europe's best lit station.
The beautifully restored original train sheds are a magnificent sight by day, but when darkness falls the station truly sparkles.
A fantastic welcome to London for everyone disembarking on a train from Heathrow Airport.

The terminus stations on Swiss Mountain Railways are rarely as spectacular as the lines built to serve them .
They can get away with being comparatively basic, as they don’t need to fulfil a role of enticing people on to the trains, the landscape does that.

Rigi-Kulm, the terminus of the Rigibahn, is an exception, but the views are even more incredible from the preceding station, Rigi-Staffell.
Wait here for a train and as can be seen, on a clear day you can almost literally see forever.

how to take a train from and to here

Sweeping statement alert, but Dutch trains don't travel comparatively long distances so have no need to be particularly exciting, therefore the national rail operator NS seems to strive to use its major stations, to proclaim that travelling by train is the way to go.

Dutch stations also tend to be exceptionally user friendly, but Rotterdam Centraal wasn’t meeting this criteria and it was also too small to cope with the increased usage of the station, as a result of it being the key hub for high-speed train travel in The Netherlands.
Hence a new station which harmonizes with a city that already hosts multiple outstanding examples of iconic modern architecture.

The evolution of Rotteram Centraal as an icon of post-WWII rejuvenation and the innovative aspects of the current station's design were covered by railway historian Tim Dunn in a UK TV series - The Architecture The Railways Built.

What ShowMeTheJourney particularly admires is that the letters and clock pictured above also adorned the previous station building, a nice recognition that some examples of post WW II industrial design are worth preserving

Rotterdam is a great base for exploring The Netherlands and Benelux by train - and it now has an irresistible magnet for attracting travellers to make those journeys.

how to take a train from and to here

On a recent rail pass adventure I made a four hour detour in order to see Sevilla Santa-Justa station and instantly decided it was worth the effort.

Those epic glass roofs that soar above many stations aren’t needed anymore - now that there’s no need to capture the smoke from steam engines, but they have been largely preserved elsewhere due to their ability to flood a station’s tracks with light.

A technique that was adapted for the 21st century at Sevilla-Santa Justa, but admittedly the sense of wonder here, is amplified by the contrast with the rather dark and not particularly exciting, main station building.

how to take a train from and to here

Technically St. Pancras shouldn't be on this list because the main station building is a location which ShowMeTheJourney admires, but doesn't adore - the high speed train extension to the original building seems like a missed opportunity.

When it was constructed in 1868 the beautifully restored roof, which spans the older part of the station, was the widest such structure in the world, but the engineer William Henry Barlow's feat of creation has been ultimately eclipsed in terms of awe, by the later even larger stations which it inspired.
The roof can only be seen at its best from the lesser used upper level of the station, though it makes for a splendid arrival spectacle when stepping off of a Eurostar.

However, if you arrive at St Pancras International by taxi or Underground and head straight for the Eurostar check-in you’ll miss out on the star of the St. Pancras show, namely George Gilbert Scott's magnificent hotel - and it is this which is pictured above.

The company which commissioned it, the Midland Railway, was a late arrival on the London railway scene and its direct competitors for the destinations it serves, had already established their London terminals either side of St. Pancras.

The hotel was to be the public face of the station so a statement was required which suggested an aura of superiority, hence the spectacle which can now be miraculously enjoyed today.
But only if you make the effort to step outside the station, or take the same route to the station that was once the preserve of horse-drawn cabs.

how to take a train from and to here

If you arrive at Stockholm Central by Metro or commuter trains and immediately transfer to an express train heading south, you’ll understandably question why the station deserves its place on this list – as the platforms that the long distance trains depart from are frankly eyesores.
However, they’re a complete contrast to the station's main hall which is staggeringly wonderful – beautiful and enormous.

Its dimensions are due to the fact that it once housed the trains and their tracks/platforms, it wasn't originally supposed to be Europe's most magnificent station waiting-room.

The hall you pass through when using the main street entrance is also fabulous - and by way of contrast, as is the part of the metro station that serves the blue line!

how to take a train from and to here

Accommodating high speed trains often requires a transformation of a station and at Torino Porta Susa the option taken was a complete rebuild - in order to create a space with a 21st century aura and on a huge scale.

Whether you think it is good architecture or not, the dimensions and sense of space are impossible to ignore.
Though from the street the station is unremarkable and it seems to squat, but that's because the tracks are below ground level.

Upon entering the station the multiple levels and bridges, stairwells and escalators seem bewildering, but when you take a train from the station their purpose becomes clear - namely to make the transfer from street to train and vice versa as simple and as elegant as possible.

how to take a train from and to here

This isn’t a list of Europe’s Most Beautiful Stations as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but a sense of wonder is hopefully more tangible; good or ill, the stations on this list can’t help provoke a reaction.

But at Valencia-Nord, that reaction surely can’t be anything but positive because it has been claimed by some as the most beautiful station in Europe - and when viewed both inside and out, it’s easy to appreciate why.

When the high speed line reached Valencia, its trains couldn't be accommodated in this masterpiece of art-nouveau architecture, which opened its doors in 1917.
Somebody made a brave decision to preserve Valencia Nord's majesty by accepting that the high speed trains would have to be housed in a separate station - and we should be forever grateful.

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Art Deco swept like a wave across the Italian rail network in the 1930s, but Venezia Santa Lucia isn’t even the best example of the style - Firenze S.M. Novella takes those honors.
It’s Santa Lucia’s location which provides the station with its wow factor, because stepping out of its exit and seeing the Grand Canal before you, never fails to be a jaw-dropping experience.

how to take a train from and to here

Criticising the railways can verge on being a national obsession in Britain, but it won't be a huge surprise to discover that here at ShowMeTheJourney we're willing to stand up and defend many aspects of our national rail network.

And one of the more fantastic aspects of travelling around by Britain by train is the profusion of wonderfully preserved gems of early railway architecture, which have been largely updated to meet the needs of modern day travellers.
Arguably the best example of such a station outside of London is at York.
Opened by the North Eastern Railway in 1877 it was clearly intended from day one to be the main rival to the city's 13th century minster in terms of architectural splendor.
If it wasn't for intrusive overhead wires used by the electric trains, the station now looks as splendid as it did on the day it opened.

If you're not burdened by luggage and have more than a passing interest in railway history, then time your journey, so that you have time to visit Britain's National Railway Museum.
It's free to enter, though any voluntary donations are most welcome, and is only a 5 min walk from York station - the footbridge which spans the station leads to the footpath.

This isn't a list of user friendly stations (that's on the 'to do list'), when designing these statement pieces, the architects sometimes seemingly give scant attention to the ease of navigating or station, or what it feels like to wait for a train in bad weather.

It’s also not a comprehensive list, some stations such as Naploli Afragiola, Lisboa Garo Do Oriente and Helsinki Central remain on our must-see list; and we were prevented from taking pictures of Roma Tiburtina; which was a shame as we loved what we saw.
We hope to add them; and your contributions, in time.