Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Goa's Daugim Cross
The two 36-inch refracting lenses in the Lick Observatory telescope are among the largest ever built.
James Lick’s Grave
The Lagoda
Human figures at Miculla Petroglyphs
Miculla Petroglyphs
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
about 8 hours ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
2 days ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
3 days ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Spain Madrid Chamberí Ghost Station

Chamberí Ghost Station

Abandoned for decades, trains still pass through the now-restored remains of one of Madrid's first metro stations.

Madrid, Spain

Added By
Marco Fernández
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Old map   Hipnos
Old map   Hipnos
Row of fancy tile metro ads   Leticia Ayuso
Station sign showing longevity of Metro logo design   Leticia Ayuso
I suddenly have a hankering from some Gal   Antonio Tajuelo
Oh snap, train   Daniel Dionne
Classic notices   Daniel Dionne
Old turnstiles and ticket booth   Daniel Dionne
Entrance from Plaza de Chamberí   Antonio Tajuelo
View of the interior   AAlcazar / Atlas Obscura User
Station   jkmillar / Atlas Obscura User
Ad at the metro station   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  RachelCassidy / Atlas Obscura User
Street entrance   AAlcazar / Atlas Obscura User
  mundotorpe / Atlas Obscura User
  mundotorpe / Atlas Obscura User
Ad at the station   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  RachelCassidy / Atlas Obscura User
  philcalvert / Atlas Obscura User
platform   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Notice Board   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Advertisement   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Panoramic view of the entrance   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Travelers on the Madrid Metro's line 1 (the "blue" line) have probably noticed an old station flashing through the train car's windows for a few seconds between the Bilbao and Iglesia stops. This is the now-disused Estación de Chamberí, and its history provides an instructive glimpse at the history of the Madrid Metro itself.

One of eight stations on the Metro's first line, the Chamberí station linked the nascent system to the Plaza de Chamberí above. Opened in 1919, this inaugural version of the Metro ran for four kilometers, from Cuarto Caminos to Puerta del Sol. However, this modest start would quickly become a popular and vital part of the urban landscape, expanding rapidly over the following decades to become one of the longest and most comprehensive metro systems in the world.

During the turbulent years of the Spanish Civil War, the station provided shelter from the deadly bombing campaigns and artillery assaults of the Nationalist forces (and their Nazi allies) to terrified and shell-shocked Madrileños who would sleep within the station. Several diesel engines in the station were also used by the Republican government to power huge parts of the city during the war. 

As part of its progressive expansion, the trains on line 1 were lengthened in the 1960s. This meant the end for Chamberí. Because it was built on a curve and close to both Bilbao and Iglesia, lengthening the station's platform proved both pointless and basically impossible. Chamberí was closed on May 22, 1966. The rails, however, were not moved, nor the trains rerouted, so it served for decades thereafter as the mystery station glimpsed by passengers on trains merely passing through. 

The rails and overhead electric lines continued to be maintained, but the rest of the station fell into dilapidation and disrepair. It remained, however, a sealed example of the transit systems origins, and thus rehabilitation efforts began in 2006 to transform Estación de Chamberí into a museum chronicling the history of the Madrid Metro. Opened in 2008, the museum, called Andén 0, or "Platform Zero," features a fully restored Chamberí, complete with old ticket offices, turnstiles, maps, and a film about the building of the Metro.

The main attraction, however, is found in the beautifully reconstructed original ads lining the walls of the platform, composed of tiny, brilliantly-colored tiles just as they were in 1919. Just don't be startled by the trains that still rumble through this abandoned-station-turned-museum, separated from the exhibit area only by a clear glass barrier.

Related Tags

Subways Trains Transportation Museums

Know Before You Go

Located on the Plaza de Chamberí, a short walk from either the Bilbao or Iglesia stop on the Metro's line 1. The visit is free, but make sure to book a ticket online at the homepage.

Community Contributors

Added By

fernandezlago

Edited By

hrnick, RHyzer, Monsieur Mictlan, philcalvert...

  • hrnick
  • RHyzer
  • Monsieur Mictlan
  • philcalvert
  • RachelCassidy
  • AAlcazar
  • mundotorpe
  • Luis Morato
  • Xavixavir
  • jkmillar

Published

May 26, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://europeforvisitors.com/madrid/articles/madrid-metro-anden-cero-estacion-de-chamberi.htm
  • http://www.curiositytravels.org/madrids-chamberi-ghost-station-anden-0/
  • http://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/anden-0-estacion-de-chamberi
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Metro
Chamberí Ghost Station
38-40 Calle de Luchana
Madrid, 28010
Spain
40.432266, -3.697737
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Museo Sorolla

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Frontón Beti-Jai

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Casa de los Lagartos (Lizards House)

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Madrid

Madrid

Spain

Places 123
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Museo Sorolla

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Frontón Beti-Jai

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Casa de los Lagartos (Lizards House)

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Madrid

Madrid

Spain

Places 123
Stories 2

Related Places

  • A look inside the Depot.

    London, England

    London Transport Museum Depot

    The majority of the museum's large collection is held in a storage space open to the public a few times a year.

  • The museum is housed in a former rail depot last used in 1913.

    Winter Garden, Florida

    Central Florida Railroad Museum

    An unsuspecting brick building outside Orlando houses decades of train ephemera.

  • The front of two trains on dispaly

    Scranton, Pennsylvania

    Steamtown National Historic Site

    The train collection of an eccentric New England seafood mogul is now a National Historical Site.

  •  Visitors to the Oklahoma Railway Museum can explore—and ride—century-old vessels restored by local train buffs.

    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Oklahoma Railway Museum

    A crew of die-hard train buffs spent decades turning a defunct stretch of railway in Oklahoma City into a museum now home to over 50 antique and restored trains.

  • Several cars in the main gallery.

    East Windsor, Connecticut

    Connecticut Trolley Museum

    A preserved trolley track that was transformed into a museum of transportation.

  • Travel Town

    Los Angeles, California

    Travel Town Museum

    A miniature train theme park, free to the public, laying at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains.

  • A ride by steam locomotive through the Robinson Canyon.

    Ely, Nevada

    Nevada Northern Railway Museum

    This former mining railroad is one of the best-preserved short lines in North America.

  • The replica rail car.

    Spearfish, South Dakota

    Fish Car No. 3

    This vintage train once gave new meaning to “swimming upstream.”

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.