Canfranc International railway station

Railway station in the Pyrenees

Canfranc International railway station is a formerly international railway station in the village of Canfranc in the Spanish Pyrenees. The Somport railway tunnel which carries the Pau–Canfranc railway, under the Pyrenees into France, is located at its northern end.

The station, which was opened during July 1928, was constructed on a grand scale to serve as a major hub for cross-border railway traffic.

During the Second World War, the station and the surrounding area acquired a reputation as the "Casablanca in the Pyrenees" due to its serving as a key crossing point for goods, as well as being the epicenter of espionage for Nazi and Spanish authorities.Passenger services also continued during the conflict, which provided an escape route into Spain for both Jews and Allied soldiers alike. Aware of these movements, Nazi agents frequently sought to intervene against passengers of interest.

The station's principal purpose of operation came to an abrupt halt on 20 March 1970, when a train derailment on the Pau-Canfranc railway line demolished the L'Estanguet bridge on the French side of the Pyrénées Mountains.

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Date: August 2022
Photographer: Héctor Godes
Additional information: wikipedia