If, in the 1930’s, somebody asked you where was the second largest station building in Europe, you would be struggling to name a location in a small, remote village, high in the Aragon Pyrennes. However that is exactly what Canfranc Estacion was. At 240m long and in an impressive Beaux-Arts style with suitable flourishes and decoration, it looked more like a palace than a station.
Opened in July 1928, it was constructed on a grand scale to serve as a major hub for cross border traffic. Until the Somport railway tunnel was completed in 1915, there were only two railway connections between France and Spain, as remains so to this day. One at Hendaye on the Atlantic Coast and one at Perpignan on the Mediterranean.
Station construction was not started until 1923 and was intended to be a celebration of Spanish engineering prowess. The station was shared with France and, therefore the style, a nod towards Spain’s northern neighbour. Due to the incompatibility of Spanish and French railway gauges at this time, the station had to allow for the transfer of goods and passengers from one train to another so the practicalities of cross border travel were more demanding than otherwise would be the case. As a consequence, it was decided that a large, prestigious station building would help establish the route in the public psyche and promote the desirability of this third route.
For such a tiny remote place, Canfranc has had a surprisingly significant place in history. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco had the railway tunnel sealed to prevent arms smuggling from “neutral” France, while in the Second World War the tunnel remained operative and became a major route for goods and people, including many refugees, Jews and Allied soldiers fleeing Nazi Europe. Against all normal international rules, Franco’s fascist regime allowed German troops and Gestapo to operate from the station, located as it was on Spanish sovereign territory. Many fleeing Nazi persecution, having believed themselves in neutral Spain, were stopped at Canfranc, detained and returned to detention in occupied Europe.
After the war, the route continued in operation, though the station itself was always far too large for the scale of traffic that passed through. In 1970, traffic came to an abrupt halt when a train derailed on the French side and demolished a bridge. The French Government made the decision not to rebuild the bridge, which effectively closed the cross-border line. However, the station remained open served by just two daily Spanish trains. Needless to say, the station and its facilities were neglected and soon the main building was fenced off and in a state of disrepair.
This continued till the station building was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 2007 and ownership transferred to the Aragon Government in 2013. Plans were proposed to turn the main station building into a luxury hotel and build a new station building in the former freight halls. This work having been completed, the European Union has now made funds available to explore re-opening the through line and relaunching international services.
Hopefully, the scheme will progress and there will be a third cross-border rail crossing for the first time in 50 years. The future of Canfranc Estacion may yet be bright.
