Auñón train station

Auñón train station is a disused railway stop in the municipality of Auñón, in the La Alcarria district of Guadalajara province, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Once the terminus of a rural branch of the narrow-gauge Tajuña railway, it has stood abandoned for decades, and today it is more a marker of local industrial history than a working piece of infrastructure.

What line did the station belong to?

The station sat on the Tajuña railway, a 60 cm narrow-gauge line built to move agricultural goods rather than passengers in large numbers. The route originated near Madrid, in the Jarama and Tajuña river valleys, an area well suited to sugar-beet farming, and it linked with the standard-gauge network of the MZA company at Torrejón de Ardoz and Ciempozuelos. Over the decades the line carried grain, wine, fruit, vegetables, sugar beet and building materials, earning it the informal nickname "tren de Arganda." The section reaching Auñón, at kilometre point 128.4 of the line and around 657 metres above sea level, represented one of the railway's furthest extensions into Guadalajara province.

When did the station operate?

Auñón's stretch of track opened on 29 September 1919, when the Anguix–Auñón section of the Tajuña railway was inaugurated. The station included a passenger building and a goods dock with a warehouse, reflecting its role in moving both people and freight from this stretch of La Alcarria. Passenger and goods traffic on this branch continued until 1953, when the Orusco–Auñón section was shut down and the station lost its service. Elsewhere on the wider Tajuña network, trains kept running seasonally for sugar-beet transport for decades longer, but this final stretch to Auñón never reopened after 1953.

What remains of the station today?

After closure, the tracks around Auñón were eventually lifted, and the station buildings were left empty. The site is now abandoned, with no active rail service, ticket function or maintained platform. Visitors interested in Spain's narrow-gauge railway heritage can still locate the former station grounds, but there is no restored building, museum or organised access point on site — it survives mainly as a quiet historical landmark within the wider story of the Tajuña line.

What else is there to see in Auñón?

The village of Auñón has a longer history than its railway link. Settled earlier by Iberians, Romans and Arabs, it grew in importance after the Christian conquest of La Alcarria in the 12th century. In 1178 it passed to the Order of Calatrava, becoming the seat of a commandery and residence of its local commander into the 16th century. A modest ruin known as the Castillo del Cuadrón, or Torre de Santa Ana, stands near the Tajo river from that period. The village's main landmark today is the Church of San Juan Bautista, a 16th-century building with a tower raised around 1526, alongside the Picota de Auñón, a stone pillory that once marked local jurisdiction. The streets keep a medieval layout, with houses that appear to hang over the valley, and the nearby Entrepeñas reservoir offers walking routes over the Alcarria landscape.

How can travellers reach the area, and when is the best time to visit?

Since the railway no longer runs, the area is reached by road through Guadalajara province, and Auñón makes a natural stop when exploring La Alcarria's villages, church architecture and the Entrepeñas reservoir. Spring and autumn offer the most comfortable conditions for walking, avoiding the harsher summer heat typical of the Alcarria plateau.

Frequently asked questions

Is Auñón train station still in service? No. The station and its section of the Tajuña railway closed in 1953, and the tracks were later removed.

What kind of railway ran through Auñón? A 60 cm narrow-gauge line, the Tajuña railway, originally built to move sugar beet and other agricultural goods between Madrid-area farmland and the MZA main line.

When did the station open? On 29 September 1919, with the inauguration of the Anguix–Auñón section of the line.

Can visitors still see the station buildings? The site survives in an abandoned state, without restoration, an active platform or organised visitor access.

What can visitors see in Auñón besides the old station? The 16th-century Church of San Juan Bautista, the Picota de Auñón pillory, the ruins of the Castillo del Cuadrón, and the nearby Entrepeñas reservoir.