Atocha
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- For other uses, see Atocha (disambiguation).
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Missing image Atocha1.jpg Exterior of old Atocha station  Missing image Moneo_Atocha_Extension.jpg Interior of new Atocha station  |
Atocha Station (Estación de Atocha) is the largest railway station in Madrid, Spain. It is the primary station serving commuter trains (Cercanías), intercity and regional trains from the south, and the AVE high speed trains from Seville and Catalonia. These train services are run by the Spanish national rail company, Renfe.
The station was Madrid's first railway station. It was inaugurated on 9 February 1851 under the name Estación de Mediodía (South Station).
After the building was largely destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt and reopened in 1892. The architect for the replacement, in a wrought iron renewal style was Alberto de Palacio Elissagne, who collaborated with Gustave Eiffel, engineer of the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty's armature.
This old building was taken out of service in 1992 and converted into a concourse with shops, cafés, a nightclub, and a 4,000 m² covered tropical garden. A modern terminal by Rafael Moneo, designed to serve the new AVE trains to Seville, was added to the complex.
The main lines end in the new terminal; commuter train platforms are located underground, at the ingress to a rail tunnel extending northward under the Paseo de la Castellana.
The station, located on the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, is served by two Madrid Metro stations, Atocha and Atocha Renfe. The latter was added when the new terminal building was constructed and is directly linked to the railway station.
The Reina Sofía museum is in the vicinity of Atocha.
The station was targeted by nine of the train bombs and two car bombs during the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks. Of those, the three bombs on one train exploded in the station, and four of the remaining bombs, on another train, exploded some distance away at the Calle Téllez. Two further bombs on the train at the Calle Téllez, along with the car bombs, did not go off and were destroyed in controlled explosions. It was speculated that the aim may have been to destroy the station entirely. 89 people died on the two trains that exploded.
An area of the station has become an improvised shrine to the victims with hundreds of burning candles. An external wall was covered with graffiti expressing sorrow, revenge, anger against the terrorists or the Partido Popular. As time passed, Atocha workers asked that the shrine be removed to allow them to heal their grief. On 10 June 2004 a virtual shrine was dedicated by the Spanish Minister of Transport. Visitors to the attacked stations can leave a hand silhouette and a message through special-purpose consoles.
External link
- The 11-M memorial website (http://mascercanos.com/galeria.asp) (in Spanish)de:Atocha (Bahnhof)