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Canfranc International Railway Station, Spain

The station, which was opened during July 1928, was constructed on a grand scale to serve as a major hub for cross-border railway traffic. The station's platforms had a length of 200 m (220 yd). Ex­ten­sive infra­struc­ture was present to ser­vice and trans­fer tran­sit­ing passengers, baggage and freight between Spanish and French trains, because the French rail standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8-1/2 in) was incompatible with the Spanish gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5-21/32 in) at the time, and hence prevented through traffic.

Canfranc In­ter­national rail­way station was often re­fer­red to around the time of its open­ing as the "Titanic of the Mountains", in part due to its large size, being the sec­ond largest station building in Europe at the time of its completion. Architecturally, it was deliberately designed with prominent symbolism: the exterior features an eclectic Beaux-Arts style that was reportedly inspired by French palatial architecture, while the interior was adorned with elements drawn from classical Roman architecture. Large quantities of glass, cement and iron are present throughout the structure, which is adorned with 365 individual windows.

During the Sec­ond World War, the sta­tion and the sur­round­ing area acquired a reputation as the "Casa­blan­ca in the Pyre­nees" due to its serv­ing as a key cross­ing point for goods, as well as being a center of espi­onage for Nazi and Span­ish authorities. Officially neutral Spain had formed an operational agreement with the Wehrmacht, which saw freight trains carrying mined tungsten northwards while French grain, as well as trans-shipped Swiss gold, was borne southwards. Passenger services also continued during the conflict, which provided an escape route into Spain for both Jews and Allied soldiers alike. Aware of these movements, Nazi agents frequently sought to intervene against passengers of interest.

The station's principal purpose of operation came to an abrupt halt on 20 March 1970, when a train derailment on the Pau-Canfranc railway line demolished the L'Estanguet bridge on the French side of the Pyrénées Mountains. Under financial pressure from its national railway company SNCF, the French government decided not to rebuild the bridge, which effectively forced the closure of the cross-border line. Despite this, the station remained open, served by just two daily Spanish trains and a handful of rail replacement buses from the French side. As a consequence of the through route's abrupt termination, the population of the village declined sharply over the following years.

After decades of neglect, the Canfranc International railway station, with its grand archi­tecture reminiscent of a French château, is being converted into a 5-star, 104-room hotel by the Barceló hotel chain, in partnership with the regional government of Aragón. The station will also house a 200-seat conference center, a railway museum, shops, and a pilgrim refuge, as Canfranc is located on one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela.
A new station will be built behind the old and connected through the hotel's vestibule.