We all know the joy (or hatred) of a crowded train station during peak hour – but what are your thoughts on these stations around the world that don’t see any visitors at all?
City Hall Subway Station, New York
Opened in 1904, this City Hall station is a well-known abandoned gem situated in the Big Apple. While it once served the Lexington Avenue line, it closed down in 1945 after officials couldn’t afford to upgrade it in order to run the new trains.
To tour the station today, you have to be a member of the New York Transit Museum.
Haxo Station, Paris
Paris is known for housing a handful of now-closed train stations, but Haxo is one of only two that you have to be on a train to access.
Haxo saw its construction begin in the 1920s, but it was never completed and so no entrance or exit-ways from the platform to the street were ever built. To get there, you literally will have to catch a train.
Gaudi Station, Barcelona
If there was ever a true ghost station, this might be it! Constructed in 1968 but never opened (thanks to changes in transport planning), Gaudi station rests near the Sagrada Familia and is now only accessible by tour.
If you’re lucky, you 05/just spot a ghost or a shadowy shape down there – or perhaps even the spirit of Gaudi himself!
Aldwych Station, London
London’s streets are brimming with history and tales of old, and the same can be said for the underground! There are dozens of abandoned stations in this city, but we chose Aldwych because of its incredible history.
During both World Wars it was used to store artworks and artefacts from the British Museum and protect them from bombings. During WWII, many also hid down here during the Blitz.
Czestochowa Railway Depot, Czestochowa
Once part of the Vienna-Warsaw railway line in the mid 1800s, this abandoned depot, which still houses its old trains, is a popular tourist attraction in southern Poland.
Michigan Central Depot, Detroit
If you ever get the chance to walk through this crumbling beauty, take it. The Central Depot was constructed in 1913 and despite being much used, it closed down in 1988.
Its 3-storey platforms and 18-storey office tower were left to ruin, but a rehab project is underway to restore the iconic building.
Tripoli Railway Station, Lebanon
A mark of a truly abandoned station, Tripoli – Lebanon’s largest city – has been out of use since the 1970s.
Today, a group of dilapidated buildings and six G7 and G8 German class locomotives characterise Tripoli, which has continued to see damage thanks to the civil war. However, there are rumours that the site 05/soon be turned into a museum.
Abkhazia Station, Abkhazia
This tiny disputed territory on the coast of the Black Sea is home to this haunting abandoned station in the capital of Sukhumi.
Abandoned since 1992 during the War in Abkhazia, the station has become an overgrown and disintegrating beauty and a favourite of passing photographers.