Madrid Atocha Train Station Tips - MagicalSpain.com

The Madrid Atocha Train Station is one of Europes prettiest train stations and easy to navigate as it is organized like a small airport with separate departure (salida)  and arrival (llegada) areas. Read on for 
more info and do not worry about asking question as people are very friendly in Spain 

The station is an exceptional fusion of the old classic station + the new modern addition with its steel and glass construction, not to mention the vivid tropical gardens in the old original station that line its concourse.


 

The new modern part of Madrid's Atocha train station is more reminiscent of a modern airport than of the traditional idea of a railway station.
 
The airport analogy carries over with signed references of "Train Departures" and "Boarding Lounges." 


The current extension work will separate the station into two terminals for Arrivals and Departures, like a small airpor

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Madrid Atocha is spacious with a light, airy feel, the information counters have English-speaking attendants, and most of the signs are in dual languages, Spanish and English.

Spanish English Travel Language tips:        

  restaurante =  restaurant

AVE    =  AVE

 Tren    =     Train

 Via       =     platform or track

Salida       =    Train departures 

Salon     =   Boarding Lounge

servicios  =  WC or  rest room 

At the information counters you should find an English speaking attendant. .Most of the signs in the Madrid Train Station are dual English/Spanish.


For long distance and regional trains, once you have your tickets you can check which platform (via) your train will be leaving from by using the long, gray, 






Long distance and regional train ticket holders will take the escalator-style ramps (located in the atrium on either side of the Arrivals and Departures board) up to the second floor and go through security before they are allowed to board. Boarding works just like at an airport.


HISTORY - While the original station date back to the mid 1850s, Gustave Eiffel, better known for the tower bearing his name in Paris, also collaborated on the project. In 1992, the original building converted into a concourse with shops, cafés, and a nightclub. 

Like the Orsay Museum in Paris, the concourse has been given a new function, this time a stunning 4,000 m2 (43,056 sq ft) covered tropical garden.

A modern terminal was also designed by Moneo, and built in adjacent land to serve both the new AVE trains and local commuter lines. 

The main train 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.


MORE INFO on these webs:

http://www.raileurope.com/europe-travel-guide/spain/madrid/train-station/atocha-train-station.html