Atocha
Station (Estación de Atocha) is the largest railway station in Madrid.
It is the primary station serving commuter trains (Cercanías), intercity
and regional trains from the south, and the AVE high speed trains from
Seville (Andalusia) and Lérida (Catalonia). These train services
are run by the Spanish national rail company, Renfe. The station was Madrid's
first railway station. It was inaugurated on 9 February 1851 under the
name Estación de Mediodía (Atocha-Mediodía is now
the name of an area of the Arganzuela district, and means noon).
After
the building was largely destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt and reopened
in 1892. The architect for the replacement, in a wrought iron renewal style
was Alberto de Palacio Elissagne, who collaborated with Gustave Eiffel,
engineer of the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty's armature. This
old building was taken out of service in 1992 and converted into a concourse
with shops, cafés, a nightclub, and a 4,000 m² covered tropical
garden. A modern terminal by Rafael Moneo, designed to serve the new AVE
trains to Seville, was added to the complex. The main lines end in the
new terminal; commuter train platforms are located underground, at the
ingress to a rail tunnel extending northward under the Paseo de la Castellana.
The station, located on the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, is served by
two Madrid Metro stations, Atocha and Atocha Renfe. |
