Histoire des gares ferroviaires de Bilbao
In the early 20th century, travellers could choose from seven stations in Bilbao to start or end their rail journey.
This is a sum not surpassed in any other city on the Iberian Peninsula.
A bit of history
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Industrial and mining activity are pivotal to Bilbao and Bizkaia. And in order for those businesses to be conducted, the estuary and the railroads were essential means of transport to and from around the world for raw materials, finished products, and thousands of people who provided labour to bring about the industrial revolution here.
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In the early 20th century, travellers could choose from seven stations in Bilbao to start or end their rail journey. This is a sum not surpassed in any other city on the Iberian Peninsula. Since it has been gone for decades, perhaps the most forgotten is San Agustín station. It was inaugurated in 1876 and located right behind the Town Hall. This station was built to connect the Las Arenas neighbourhood in Getxo and Bilbao thereby transport the bourgeois class who began moving there. But it was not in the best location, as at the time this was considered quite far on the outskirts of town. This fact, along with competition from horse-drawn trams that reached the back of San Nicolás church, caused the new owner to move the station to the old quarter, which became known as Bilbao-Aduana station and was destroyed in the 1990s.
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The other station that remained in use until not long ago is Atxuri station. This station is part of the Ferrocarriles Vascongados network, now called Eusko Trenbideak, and it was declared a monument in 2012.
Built in 1912 on drawings by architect Manuel María Smith, it is a neo-Basque style dominated by a tall tower with a solarium. Added to this are asymmetrical volumes and the rustic finish of the façades, creating quite an expressive piece of architecture. It is no longer used as a station, ever since all Euskotren lines were moved to the nearby San Nicolás station, and it is waiting for new uses that respect its historical, architectural, functional and cultural values.
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La Concordia Station, located at the end of calle Bailén, was built to service the trains coming from Santander. Work on the line began in 1896, but it wasn't until the turn of the century, in 1902, when the station opened. Over the years, the building has also taken on passenger traffic from narrow-gauge trains coming from León and therefore Encartaciones.
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Abando station is certainly more monumental. It was the first to be built in 1862 to tend to the Tudela line in Bilbao. The current station was designed in 1941 by architect Alfonso Fungairiño Nebot, with work concluding in 1948. The new building for travellers was moved to Plaza Circular, with its main façade aligned with calle Hurtado de Amézaga. The 192 m of vaulted ceiling manufactured by Altos Hornos de Vizcaya was added to the platform area, supported by 12 large De Dion trusses anchored and jointed on their supports to concrete blocks. The solution adopted has been quite common in train stations ever since the magnificent Saint Pancras station was inaugurated in London in 1863 and it was also successfully used in the Machine Gallery of the 1878 Paris Exposition. Thus, Abando station, one of the final stations of this kind to be built in the world, became a hallmark of contemporary Bilbao and the only example in the Basque Country of the great train stations of the past.
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The façade at the top of the vaulted ceiling in the platform area was enclosed with a stained glass panel, with a central clock and coat of arms surrounded by train, industrial and regional designs, achieving a great artistic effect and serving as a magnificent cover letter for the town for travellers arriving to Abando. It also provides characteristic filtered lighting on the platforms. It is 15 m wide and 10 m tall and its design is the creation of Miguel Pastor Veiga, while construction was carried out by Jesús Arrecubieta, from the Unión de Artistas Vidrieros workshop in Irún. It is flanked by important frescos whose sketches were done by Santos Iturrioz.
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La Naja station, located under El Arenal bridge and Calzadas station are the last two stops in operation at the turn of the century. The former was built for the thousands of travellers who moved throughout the left bank of the estuary during the great industrialisation period. Inaugurated in 1888, La Naja was baptised by Bilbao residents as the birdhouse or chapel due to the turret dominating the roof of a modernist building located next to El Arenal bridge. The Pablo Alzola building, which was heavily impacted by the demolition of the bridge during the Spanish Civil War, was demolished in 1937 and the station was brought underground and provided service for more than a decade until the burying of Renfe trains took commuter trains to Abando station.
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The last stop is Calzadas de Mallona, which provided service to the line to Lezama from 1895 and was the stop for the cemetery of Derio. The trains even had a car for coffins. The Archaeology Museum of Bizkaia is what took its place in the last decade, with all vestiges of the railway disappearing, except for the beautiful entry building and the still-functioning clock.