Also named Estación del Norte (North Station) for a long time, because it was built with French resources by the Northern Railway Company, to be the terminal station for the railway connecting Madrid with the French border.

The building of the station is an example of the Modernist architecture from the end of the 19th century. Built by the French architects Bairez, Grasset, and Ouliat in 1879, it presents a façade flanked by two towers. Its style is historicist. In the interior, the hall is the most noteworthy area.

After losing its function as a railroad station, it was closed for several years until reopened, after undergoing a major restoration. Today it is an important transport junction with Metro and an urban, inter-urban annd long distance bus interchange, but it has also become a Leisure and Cultural Center, and a mall with all kind of stores and restaurants.