How Europe’s Most Luxurious Train Station, Called ‘Titanic of the Mountains’, Was ABANDONED Before Hotel Transformation

EUROPE’S most luxurious train station, abandoned for decades, has been transformed into a stunning hotel.

Canfranc International Train Station was once called the “Titanic of the Mountains” when it first opened in July 1928, but it soon underwent a dramatic decline.

Canfranc International Train Station was abandoned for decadesCredit: Alamy

After its closure in 1970, the station suffered major decline and neglectCredit: Alamy

It has now been transformed into a luxurious five-star hotel, which will open in 2023Credit: Barceló Hotels & Resorts

Situated high in the mountains against the beautiful backdrop of the Spanish Pyrenees, the story of the station does not have the same beauty.

Located on the remote border of Spain and Franceonce was Canfranc International Europas second largest train station.

Yet the system has not worked since 1970, when a freight train derailed and damaged a major bridge in France.

After its abandonment, historical tours of the site were the only way to still gain access.

However, the station was eventually sold in 2013 and eventually rebuilt in 2021 as a new hotel, which welcomed its first guests in February 2023.

But before that it had become a rotting wasteland and an old-fashioned train graveyard.

Built in 1928, the station was built on a large scale to serve as a major hub for cross-border rail traffic.

With 365 windows and 200 meter long platforms, it was quite a spectacle.

The station had played a key role during the WWII and witnessed arrests, espionage and gold trading.

It became known as the “Titanic of the Mountains”, although experts still don’t agree exactly why that was.

Inside the world’s most luxurious TRAIN, dubbed ‘luxury hotel on wheels’, complete with hot tubs and on-board restaurant

Some historians, such as Alfonso Marco, hypothesize that the station’s “monumental and enormous” structure was easily comparable to that of the ill-fated ship.

In any case, that “relatively minor accident” less than 50 years after opening, Canfranc International experienced major decline and neglect, leaving much of the site abandoned.

Marco said: “The bridge could have been replaced without any problems, but the temporary suspension of the service gave the opportunity to close a line that France was no longer interested in.”

But after decades of neglect, a new project involving the government of Aragon, France and the European Commission was launched in the hope of returning the station to its former glory.

The project hopes to be completed in 2026, but also aims to renovate Canfranc and reactivate the railway line between Spain and France.

A smaller and more accessible train station is also being built nearby.

As for the station itself, its large spaces have already been converted into a five-star hotel with 104 rooms, including four suites.

A wellness area including a swimming pool and three restaurants also form the luxurious part, while the old station hall is now the hotel reception.

Hotel guest Thomas O’Hare told us CNN: “The rooms, bar and restaurant follow this beautiful feeling of a modern interior with a heavy gesture to the history of train travel.”

However, he has one negative point about the extra costs of € 15 per guest for use of the hotel swimming pool.

Nevertheless, its remarkable renewal and incredible mountainside location has put Canfranc back on the map as one of the world’s most picturesque locations.