Ourense-Empalme Railway Station

Ourense railway station (IATA: OUQ), formerly known as Ourense-Empalme, is the main railway station of Ourense, Spain.

History

Background

The railway arrived in the city on 18 June 1881 with the opening of the Vigo–Ourense line. The Medina–Zamora–Ourense–Vigo Railway Company (MZOV), established in 1880, was responsible for the works. In 1928, the severe financial difficulties faced by the companies operating railway lines in western Spain led the government to nationalise and merge them into the National Western Railway Company, which was, in turn, incorporated into RENFE in 1941. The city’s first station was a modest structure located in the then independent municipality of Canedo, designed to accommodate a passenger building and the railway facilities typical of a terminus.

Current building

In 1952, with the construction of the line between Zamora and A Coruña, the current station was opened, an event attended by the then leader of Spain Francisco Franco. It was historically named Ourense-Empalme to distinguish it from the city’s other railway station, Ourense-San Francisco. In 2020, following the closure of the San Francisco station, it was renamed simply “Ourense”. Since 2021, it has been part of the Madrid–Galicia high-speed rail line.

Services

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