Best and Worst Stations

[exile]

There have been similar threads on UK stations, but do we have any nominations for stations abroad?

Best
- Leipzig Hauptbahnhof - magnificent building and as with most German stations, very well equipped and easy to use
- Milan Centrale - another fantastic building
- Toronto Union - big classical building with plenty of space inside

Worst
- Naples Central - chaotic and filthy
- Prague Hlavni Nadrazi - drunks and beggars outside, gloomy inside
- Brussels Midi - like the basement of a multi storey car park

 

[DiscoStu]

For me, Brussels Centraal. I absolutely cannot stand that place.

It's dark, dirty, and it stinks.

Come to think of it, most Belgian stations are pretty bad

 

[W-on-Sea]

Antwerp Centraal has to be one of the best - (extraordinary building, on four levels, that has been updated and refurbished in a thoroughly contemporary way, to make the most of what is there, but without unduly destroying what was there before). So that's at least one great Belgian station.... Yes, Brussels Centraal is horrid, but Brussels Congrès is even worse....as is Brussels-Chapelle. But in general I've found most other Belgian stations I've used pleasant enough...certainly better than the Italian average, anyway...

Not sure I'd put Rome Termini absolutely at the top of my list, but its clean lines and sense of spaciousness and flow and modernity are kind of attractive (in the UK, the ticket hall of Barking station - which is I think now Grade II* listed - is loosely modelled on it...). And there is somehow, in the sense of proportion, a nodding to the more ancient buildings around and about the city...

Bordeaux Saint-Jean is about as good as big-city stations get, I guess (pity it's not so centrally located though). Plenty of space, smart and clean, and at least moderately attractive. Sounds like damning with faint praise, I suppose, but it seems to work pretty well.

And on the minus side...

I can't disagree that Naples Central is chaotic and filthy - it is if anything at least a representative introduction to the area immediately around the station though.....

Bucharest Nord is like descending into the pits of hell, even in comparison with Naples Central.

 

[Nigel Gresley]

The worst stations are unmanned and neglected. Unfortunalely, there are far too many to mention here. For example....

http://www.lostareas.de/Stahlwerke/Westfalenhuette/Westfalenhuette101.htm

 

[stut]

Best:

Antwerpen Centraal for its palatial feel.
Madrid Atocha for the rainforest!
Kyoto for the sheer madness of the roof garden and skywalk (and for the excellent ekiben...)
Zuerich HB for the very model of efficiency.
Venezia SL for the best exit (right on the Grand Canal).
New York GCT for the heyday glamour of it.
Paris-Lyon for the food.
Shinjuku for the sheer scale, the near-choreographed rush hour and infectious jingle.
Mumbai CST for the teeming insanity and faded grandeur.

Worst:

Warsaw Centralna for the endless warren of concrete tunnels.
Amiens-Nord for Perret's concrete-fenced grimness.
Puno (Peru) for the most irritating, persistent touts.
Brussels South for grime and thievery.
Prague hl n for unmaintained half-arsed modernisation.
Milan Centrale for making such a beautiful station so incredibly user-unfriendly.
Moscow Kazansky station for having the world's worst toilets.
New York Penn for cramped, dingy underground awfulness.
Makkasan for being such a pointless white elephant.

 

[exile]

That's a great list! I was quite impressed by the stations in Spain - but then given the money that's been invested in them they should be good!

 

[LouJ]

Not all Belgian stations are bad - Liege is one of the great modern stations of Europe - simply superb! I also agree with the cmments about Antwerp Centaal.

Amsterdam Centraal has character. Most other Dutch stations are either modern or pehaps rather dull.

Koln Hbf, like many big German stations, has character. Berlin Hbf is also superb.

France has some wonderful stations - Paris Nord, Bordeaux St Jean and La Rochelle to name a few. Ornate architecture that has been carefully restored.

I have visited many of the above in recent months and am slowly adding pictures to my website of all of those I have commented on.

Berlin can be found here http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=140

Amsterdam Centraal here http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=153

The others to follow in due course.

 

[leedspete]

i didnt like paris nord or bercy or venice mestre is a bit of a dump
But venice st lucia was a dream come true the arcitecture was spectacular

 

[Chris999999]

La Tour de Carol has to be one of the best stations in the world. Three different gauges each with a different voltage and slowly decaying infrastructure.

Real character and impressive - waiting for its day to come round again.

 

[TheBoyFromTheN]

Milano Central is just totally awe inspiring!!! a magnificant building of HUGE proportions which blew me away last month!!!

Verona station platforms have vending machines - the 60c espresso by Lavazza was AWESOME! fresh, hot and certainly gives you a kick start to the day!

 

[LouJ]

Thought you might be interested in this gallery I have just posted on my website feature 45 minutes at this wonderful station. The gallery is at

http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=163

Enjoy.

 

[oattam09]

Berlin Hbf is also superb.

Agree, the Berlin Haupbahnhof is amazing.

 

[stut]

Milano Centrale has one particularly unique feature, and that is the herby smell leftover from the 1940s. During wartime hardship, the Italian government ordered early research into biofuels, using the abundant, oily herbs that Italy is so famous for, to power the locomotives that ran up and down the country, leaving a delicious smell throughout the major termini.

Yes, Mussolini made the trains run on thyme.

 

[LouJ]

Have just posted some imges taken earlier this summer at one of the finest modern stations in Europe. My photography probably doesn't do the superb architecture enough justice. Great detail design fromwaste bins to overhead masts. See for your self at

http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=164

The set of images also includes some photographs of trains working through this station.

 

[DiscoStu]

Have just posted some imges taken earlier this summer at one of the finest modern stations in Europe. My photography probably doesn't do the superb architecture enough justice. Great detail design fromwaste bins to overhead masts. See for your self at

http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=164

The set of images also includes some photographs of trains working through this station.

Wow - I had no idea what they'd done to that station!! I used to hate that place!!

 

[RichmondCommu]

Worst station; Barcelona Sants

Best station; Melbourne Flinders Street

 

[Max]

I was very impressed with Strasbourg station when I passed through a couple of months back - reminded me a little of what's been done at Aberdeen where the original frontage has been retained behind an extended, glass concourse. See this site to get a good idea: http://www.wpcspi.org/images/2009 J...Station on way to Paris on fast train_JPG.htm

Also very much liked Köln Hbf - impressive roof and great passenger facilities. Budapest Keleti P. had some amazing architectural features, but was sadly in a rather dilapidated state inside. At present, the whole area is a huge building site for a new metro line, so is in a bit of a state.

As for a smaller station, Lindau (Bodensee) has a great deal of charm, with fantastically preserved interiors from a bygone age. Sadly, there aren't many photographs online, but this gives you an idea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/praktinafan/4236746589/

 

[DiscoStu]

I quite liked Bangkok Hualampong station.

 

[Schnellzug]

I'd certainly nominate Liege Guillemins, but, although I've never been thee, Lisboa Oriente looks pretty impressive.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

General SNCB stations , with a few exceptions are bad - Brussels Midi is a disgrace - especially after 1800 when it gets quieter and the % of undesirables increases.

Poland has some very run down stations. (but look at the economics and recent history)

The DB are usually very good - they have a stations and service directorate which is very sharp on standards and information etc.

 

[Clip]

I thought we already had one on this ?? But yeah flinders street in Melbourne is a hell of a good looking station. Shame about its insides though

Also Wellington both in and outside are lovely and you would never know Aucklands Britomart was a station looking out from the front - thats very nice too but extremely modern looking inside

 

[Drsatan]

I've passed through many pleasant stations when travelling across Europe. Koln Hbf will always be a favourite because the station retains its grandeur; I also like Frankfurt Am Main station for the same reason. Chur station in Switzerland is unusual because Rhaetian Railway trains wait adjacent to SBB trains while the bus station is located above the station.

Worst stations: the Gare de Lyon in Paris felt a bit decrepit, while many stations in Poland look very run down with the exception of Warsawza Centralna. In particular Katowice station (now being rebuilt) is very run down and not somewhere you don't want to wait for a train for, especially at night due to all the druggies and petty criminals who hang around the station.

 

[Butts]

Agree, the Berlin Haupbahnhof is amazing.

I agree a magnificent edifice...

I also agree about Warsaw with it's maze of tunnels - I had the assistance of a local or would have been stuffed.

 

[LouJ]

I've passed through many pleasant stations when travelling across Europe. Koln Hbf will always be a favourite because the station retains its grandeur.

Just added a gallery taken at Cologne earlier this year. The photos summarise the traffic and underline the amount of loco haled trains at this very busy station.

http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=165

 

[LouJ]

I have just added another gallery featuring graet European stations. This time its Antwerp Central. Judge for yourself.

http://www.world-railways.co.uk/gallery/gallery.php?id=171