The World's 11 Coolest Train Stations (PHOTOS)

No matter how many improvements are made to transportation methods, there's something undeniably appealing about old-school train travel. One of rail travel's most appealing aspects is that it's almost universal -- nearly anywhere you go in the world, there's some kind of train service. You could go chugging through the British countryside on an old steam locomotive or rolling through snow-caked Russian terrain on the Trans-Siberian - there are plenty of famous train trips for travel enthusiasts to dream about.

Sometimes, however, it really is about the destination and not the journey - and this in case, the destinations are the exceptional train stations around the world. The stations featured here go a step beyond what you'd usually expect from a train station - newsstands, fast food vendors, etc. - and offer a bit of eye-candy as well as serving a practical purpose.

Here are 11 of the coolest train stations around the world.

Book your tickets with BootsnAll's Europe rail tool (which can save you up to 60% off the regular price of Italian trains!), and learn more about trains and public transport:

• 7 Best American Train Trips Under $100
• Photo Essay: 8 Unusual Transit Systems Around the World
  

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Photos by:  Ilkin, Wojtek Gurak, Campra , Leandro's World Tour , arialcrime, digicacy, karma-police, Dr. Azzacov, Henry Chen, on1stsite, Shreyans Bhansali

 

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Comments

[Djinn NY]

09:48 PM on 04/12/2012

I would've definitely put GCT, New York. Also Amsterdam Centraal. Southern Cross is pretty sweet, so's Atocha. I haven't been to the one in Argentina, and I was born there!

[Aboomer]

12:58 PM on 02/29/2012

I lived just a few blocks from Atocha -- it is much more beautiful than the photo here. I used to go there just to hang out and have a coffee, enjoy the ambiance, especially in the winter. It is a real haven!

[DelightfullyGrimm]

03:25 PM on 02/25/2012

So many politically charged comments...yet so little we can actually do about it....sometimes an article is just that...an interesting (if not deep thought provoking) article...sometimes it's just fun to sit back and enjoy the history and pictures...

[belldn3]

03:22 PM on 02/25/2012

The station in Spain, looks cool.

[philips0811]

02:11 PM on 02/25/2012

Enjoyable article. I love trains and train stations. Union Station in DC is certainly a great one. Just one comment - "The station is set at the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet railway that links Tibet to the rest of China." Shouldnt that read "....links Tibet to China" ? Tibetan Spring, anyone?

[aomwn3]

02:03 PM on 02/25/2012

Ah the good old USA and I do mean OLD, where even if a bridge collapses they won't repair it. Nope, gotta have those tax cuts.

[DennisTheMenance]

12:32 PM on 02/25/2012

And How come? The cost of Using Natural Gas is $2.50 Gal vs Diesel is over $3.50
And Nat Gas Is So Much Cleaner and We don't need ti Import that Oil to create it..
SO, HOW COME TRAINS IN THE USA USE DIESEL FUEL INSTEAD OF NAT. GAS?

And why Not More Vehicles using Diesel Fuel? Like In Europe?
Because The Gov't would make less Income from Less Taxes
And OBAMA -Union owned GM Motors would sell Less EV's!

We're supposed to spend The ave of $12,000 More to uhy a EV..Right?
At $4 gal = 3,000 gals of fuel x the ave of 24 mpg in a 4 cycl gas car = 72,000 miles just to break even !

How about Pres. Obama Guarantees getting ReElected? Just has to Require American Oil Co.'s to Provide a Quota to Stay In America and can only Export the rest..
It's Our Own Oil and we're paying World Prices! We're getting Conned!

[KGBostonMA]

12:25 PM on 02/25/2012

I am a railroad conductor so I have seen my fair share of train stations. Missing in this article is definitely Grand Central Terminal in NYC. Also missing is Union Station in DC and MIlan in Italy.

[DennisTheMenance]

12:23 PM on 02/25/2012

I often wonder why? Why do they have to Make the Roofs So High Up?
Are Trains going to Be Inside those Stations? No
Just People?
Are their going to be 2nd or 3rd Story Floor Offices? No
So Why?
Thus why spend so much $ doing so? Because its Free $ from the Taxpayers, right?
They say The Federal Gov't provides alot of it? Isn't that Taxpayers $?

[ozubresson]

06:02 PM on 02/25/2012

I know it's crazy, but sometimes man cares about making things look beautiful. It's somehow supposed to make life more enjoyable. It's been that way through the ages, with those Parthenons and Forums and stuff, all those unnecessary structures man has built. Who needs that? They waste a lot of money on our city parks, too.

Even churches waste their parishioners' money with all those unnecessary stained-glass windows.

[Lisa1129]

11:51 AM on 02/25/2012

They left out grand central station in new york.

[George Arees]

11:33 AM on 02/25/2012

While the rest of the world continue to upgrade its train travel, especially in Europe, the USA has done little with the exception of a few metro areas such as Boston, New York, DC, Los Angeles, and possibly a few others. I travel in Europe often, and to think I never get in an automobile from the time I arrive to the time I depart. It seems that every airport has a train and/or bus to the city center. Once there, it is easy to hop onto a bus, tram or subway to get to the hotel. While there, the public transit is readily available. I must say the European stations are wonderful and it was great to see both Strasbourg and Antwerp on this list. However, Penn Station in New York should have been included.

[Yulelog]

11:06 AM on 02/25/2012

My mistake! The Tanggula Mountain Railway Station is in meters not feet so Union station is not higher.

[Yulelog]

09:55 AM on 02/25/2012

Actually, Union Station in Denver is at 5,165 feet in elevation making it higher than Tanggula Mountain Railway Station

[mpstrong1414]

11:29 AM on 02/25/2012

You missed the meter thing. Since a meter is over 3 feet, that means Tanggula is over 15,000 ft in elevation.

[hhijena]

09:31 AM on 02/25/2012

This is the results of using crooked steel beams and not using chalk lines or transits. They screw up and give some nonsensical reasons like it was intentional. Noticed they don't show the roof or exterior. The shingles look like they were laid by foot, not hand.

[Eminem Albums]

03:23 AM on 02/23/2012

This article is really interesting and entertaining! It was a good idea to write about it! http://albums.eminem.in/

[erbie]

09:28 AM on 02/25/2012

You got to be kidding, go and see railroad yards where the workers have to live in the box cars before work, make mo-ped parts on the machine in the "round house" for extra money, cook lunch, and other meals I guess, in a large cast iron pot and carry their eating utensils in their shirt pocket because it is not furnished, offer you their sisters in marriage to get them out of the country and to get their families into the United States, riders on top of the train because it is either to hot or to crowded inside, where the bathroom has no roof and you can see the peoples feet on the sidewalk outside under the door because the stall door opens to the sidewalk with an open hole in the floor, male and female, and then you'll see a unique train station. I have.

[maternatura]

09:39 AM on 02/25/2012

Where are you talking about?

[aomwn3]

02:00 PM on 02/25/2012

Next book, the Turner Diaries. Have fun with your screed.

[susanherna121377]

10:40 AM on 02/25/2012

And Eminem has what to do with quirky train stations?