9 of the World’s Oldest Train Stations

The introduction of trains in the 19th century revolutionized the way we travel. They made it possible to transport people and goods over long distances at faster speeds than ever before. Like trains themselves, the first railway stations originated in the United Kingdom, and many date back to the first half of the 19th century. Many began as simple platforms and later developed into iconic landmarks that welcome millions of passengers annually. Here are nine of the oldest stations that are still in use today. 

Flinders Street Railway Station – Melbourne, Australia

Year opened: 1854

The oldest train station in Australia, Flinders Street Railway Station started life in 1854 as a collection of simple weatherboard train sheds. As train travel increased in Melbourne, demand grew for a larger and more efficient station. Two employees from Victoria Railways won a competition held in 1899 to redesign the entire terminal. Today, it’s a striking blend of Edwardian baroque and French Renaissance architecture. Flinders Street is notable for its yellow-hued facade, red brick, and green copper dome. A row of clocks (once operated by hand) above the main entrance display departure times for the various train lines that serve the station. 

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus – Mumbai, India

Year opened: 1853

An architectural marvel in Mumbai, India’s second-largest city, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is one of India’s oldest operational train stations. Trains first started rolling out of here in 1853, and the station now handles around 3 million passengers daily. 

The station’s current design, for which it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the result of a 10-year redevelopment project that began in 1878. British architect Frederick WIlliam Stevens designed the terminal with the help of skilled local tradesmen. It’s a blend of classic Indian temple architecture and Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival styles. Notable features include the stone domes, castlelike towers, and carved medallions. Crowning the central dome is Progress, a marble statue portraying a woman holding a torch and spoke wheel that represent knowledge and progress. 

London Paddington – London, England

Year opened: 1838

Plans for London Paddington station were first conceived in the 1830s. Civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Bruneul was tasked with building the London terminus of the Great Western Railway, which connected the British capital to Bristol. Due to rising costs, the original plan was scrapped and a temporary station was built in June 1838. 

The project started up again in the 1850s, and in 1854 Brunel unveiled a majestic three-span iron and glass roof covering 13 platforms. This was expanded in the early 1900s to increase the number of platforms to 16. Paddington today is vital to London’s transport network and also has an underground station served by four lines. It’s famous in popular culture for being the place where Paddington Bear was found. 

Vitebsky Railway Station – St. Petersburg, Russia

Year opened: 1837

Vitebsky Railway Station, originally called St. Petersburg-Tsarskoselsky, was the first train station built in the Russian Empire. In October 1837, a steam engine called Provorny departed on the country’s maiden rail journey. It took passengers from the city to the former royal residence of Tsarskoye Selo (Catherine Palace). 

The station’s original wooden building has been refurbished twice. First, a two-floor stone structure was added; then, in 1902, came today’s magnificent Art Nouveau building. It’s characterized by grand staircases, ornate ironwork, and ceiling frescoes. Decorating the main hall are panels that tell the story of the Tsarskoye Selo Railway, the first public railway line in Russia. 

Gare Saint-Lazare – Paris, France

Year opened: 1837

Built during the reign of King Louis-Philippe I, Gare Saint-Lazare is synonymous with the opening of French railroads. It was the departure point for the country’s first passenger line, the Paris-St. Germain Line. 

Several expansion projects have taken place over the years. In the 1840s, architect Alfred Armand and engineer Eugene Flachat added the station’s classical facades, glass canopy, and glass-roofed gallery. The station was immortalized in a series of oil paintings by Claude Monet, which are visible at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris and several other art museums. 

Liverpool Lime Street Station – Liverpool, England

Year opened: 1836

Opened in August 1836, Liverpool Lime Street Station lays claim to being the world’s oldest still-in-use mainline station. Throughout almost two centuries of operation, the busy terminal has grown from a basic shed to an 11-platform station, including one metro platform. 

Fronting the station is an elegant Renaissance Revival-style building that once housed the historic North Western Hotel, which opened in 1871. During reconstruction works carried out between 2016 and 2018, workers unearthed three stone slabs from the original platform. They were engraved with a message about their historical significance and displayed on platforms No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5.

Deptford Station – London, England

Year opened: 1836

London’s oldest railway station still in use is Deptford Station, which dates back to February 1836. Upon opening, it served as one of the stations on the London and Greenwich Railway between the neighborhoods of Bermondsey and Deptford. While it was initially a station with minimal features, streetside turrets inspired by the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens were added in 1840. 

A waiting room was built the following year, although passengers could only access it by walking across the tracks. Closed from 1915 to 1926, the station has since been demolished and rebuilt twice. It’s now popular for its location close to the shops and restaurants of Deptford Market Yard. 

Hexham Railway Station – Hexham, England

Year opened: 1835

The first trains left Hexham Railway Station in 1835 as part of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway. This historic station in northeast England was refurbished several times between 1835 and 1901. The station features a striking canopy supported by cast-iron columns and a footbridge with a lattice parapet rail. The ticket office has two Gothic-style windows, and the waiting room has an original fireplace. Regular daily services operate from the station to major cities such as Carlisle, Newcastle, and Whitby.

Broad Green Station – Liverpool, England

Year opened: 1830

The oldest train station still in operation is Broad Green Station, which opened in September 1830. (The oldest existing train station is Liverpool Road Station in Manchester; it closed in 1975 and is now a museum.) Located in the Liverpool suburb of the same name, Broad Green Station was built as part of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It began to appear on timetables in 1831. 

Despite the station’s age, the present-day buildings are from 1972. They were erected by the London and North Western Railway. Around the same time, the station was reduced from four to two platforms following the construction of the nearby M62 highway. Since 2015, electric trains from Merseyrail have been connecting the station to Liverpool and Manchester city centers.