Originally built in 1859, Melbourne's Southern Cross Railway station was renovated in 2005 to include an undulating roof that covers an entire city block. At the western end of the station is a colorful "History of Transport" mural.
Southern Cross (Melbourne, Australia) —
Originally built in 1859, Melbourne's Southern Cross Railway station was renovated in 2005 to include an undulating roof that covers an entire city block. At the western end of the station is a colorful "History of Transport" mural.
Courtesy DaveFlker
The Hundertwasser Bahnhof train station in the northern German town of Uelzen was redecorated in 2000 by famous Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Hundertwasser Bahnhof (Uelzen, Germany) —
The Hundertwasser Bahnhof train station in the northern German town of Uelzen was redecorated in 2000 by famous Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Courtesy sigiha20141
The centerpiece of Netherlands' Rotterdam Centraal Station's design is the main entrance. The shiny boomerang-like canopy is made of a stainless steel projection and wood cladding.
Centraal Station (Rotterdam, Netherlands) —
The centerpiece of Netherlands' Rotterdam Centraal Station's design is the main entrance. The shiny boomerang-like canopy is made of a stainless steel projection and wood cladding.
Courtesy Michal Switala
When open in 2015, New York's World Trade Center Transportation Hub will include retractable 150-foot-high glass-and-steel "wings" that will allow natural light into the rail platforms 60 feet below street level.
WTC Transportation Hub (New York) —
When open in 2015, New York's World Trade Center Transportation Hub will include retractable 150-foot-high glass-and-steel "wings" that will allow natural light into the rail platforms 60 feet below street level.
Courtesy Tectonic Photo
More than 21.6 million tourists visit New York's Grand Central Terminal each year. The iconic station is decorated with winding staircases and gleaming chandeliers.
Grand Central Terminal (New York) —
More than 21.6 million tourists visit New York's Grand Central Terminal each year. The iconic station is decorated with winding staircases and gleaming chandeliers.
Andrew Burton/getty images/file
The Gare do Oriente in Lisbon is distinguished by its unique roof. The steel skeleton covers eight elevated tracks and their corresponding platforms, with the roof resembling the underside of a leaf.
Gare do Oriente (Lisbon, Portugal) —
The Gare do Oriente in Lisbon is distinguished by its unique roof. The steel skeleton covers eight elevated tracks and their corresponding platforms, with the roof resembling the underside of a leaf.
Courtesy Dominique Schreckling
A giant canopy of curved glass covers the 1880s facade of France's Gare de Strasbourg, giving the station the look of a dazzling jewel from the outside.
Gare de Strasbourg (Strasbourg, France) —
A giant canopy of curved glass covers the 1880s facade of France's Gare de Strasbourg, giving the station the look of a dazzling jewel from the outside.
Courtesy Pavel Tobolka
The Liege-Guillemin station in Liege, Belgium features an ultra-modern glass and steel facade. The wave-like ribbed roof suggests movement over the thousands of commuters that flow under it daily.
Gare de Liege-Guillemins (Liege, Belgium) —
The Liege-Guillemin station in Liege, Belgium features an ultra-modern glass and steel facade. The wave-like ribbed roof suggests movement over the thousands of commuters that flow under it daily.
Courtesy Samuel Casoli
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai is India's busiest station and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The immense structure features a mixture of gothic turrets, stone domes and pointed arches.
Chhatrapati Shivaji (Mumbai, India) —
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai is India's busiest station and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The immense structure features a mixture of gothic turrets, stone domes and pointed arches.
Courtesy Kirk Kittell
The stone-clad Antwerpen-Centraal is such an eclectic mix of designs that it has no designated architectural style. Its vast dome covering the waiting room and vast iron and glass train shed earned the station the nickname "Railway Cathedral."
Antwerpen-Centraal (Antwerp, Belgium) —
The stone-clad Antwerpen-Centraal is such an eclectic mix of designs that it has no designated architectural style. Its vast dome covering the waiting room and vast iron and glass train shed earned the station the nickname "Railway Cathedral."
Courtesy Janne Huttunen
Harry Potter's platform 9 3/4 isn't the only draw at King's Cross Railway station. This 20-meter-high steel structure stretches over the Victorian terminal in diamond and triangle shapes.
King's Cross (London, UK) —
Harry Potter's platform 9 3/4 isn't the only draw at King's Cross Railway station. This 20-meter-high steel structure stretches over the Victorian terminal in diamond and triangle shapes.
Courtesy Shigehiro Ono
11 amazing train stations

Story highlights

Architectural data company Emporis has compiled a list of 11 stunning train stations

Grand Central Terminus in New York receives over 21.6 million tourists each year

Chhaatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

CNN  — 

Whether they’re blasting over the tracks in Germany or Japan, trains offer travelers a chance to sit back and relax as they ride through some of the world’s most incredible scenery.

But often the stations the trains depart from are an attraction in their own right, counting among the world’s most beautiful pieces of architecture.

Hamburg-based architectural data company, Emporis put together a great list of 11 of the world’s most spectacular train stations.

“Increasing numbers of cities are adorning themselves with eye-catching station buildings that, with their unconventional roof structures, bright colors and extravagant shapes, become unique architectural landmarks of those cities,” the report says.

Europe’s most impressive metro stations

The 11 stations singled out by Emporis include the artistic Hundertwasser Bahnhof in Germany, decorated in the style of artist Friedensreich; futuristic Gare de Liege-Guillemins in Belgium, with its “gigantic arched roof that spans the entire length of the station”; and the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York – due to open later this year – that “will set new standards in station architecture.”

The report adds that historical stations are now being eyed for elaborate and unusual renovations.

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King’s Cross in London and Gare de Strasbourg in France, for instance, are among stations that are now part modern art and part historical landmarks.

Meanwhile, architectural masterpieces like Grand Central Terminal in New York and Chhaatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai are equally as impressive today as they were when opening in 1913 and 1888, respectively.

Check out the gallery atop this story for Emporis’ full list of spectacular train stations.