Euskotren's Basque Railway Museum to reopen on Tuesday 7 January
- In 2024, the Museum's facilities in Azpeitia (Gipuzkoa) were visited by over 26,000 people
- The regular service of the Urola Valley steam train, the only railway on the Iberian Peninsula run using coal-powered steam locomotives, transported over 13,300 people last yea.
After the end of the annual Christmas shutdown of its facilities in Azpeitia (Gipuzkoa), Euskotren's Basque Railway Museum will open again on Tuesday 7 January, with the following timetable:
- Tuesday to Saturday: 10.00 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. // 3.00 - 6.30 p.m.
- Sundays and bank holidays (except Mondays): 10.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
The Basque Railway Museum boasts one of the best railway collections in Europe featuring a whole range of vehicles: electric, diesel and steam locomotives, railcars and different types of wagons.
It also has one of the Basque Country’s most comprehensive sets of machine tools from the former Urola railway repair shop. There is also a display of railway uniforms from the end of the 19th century and one of the best railway clock collections in the world.
It is also home to an exhibition paying tribute to the victims of forced and slave labour during the Spanish Civil War and under Franco’s dictatorship. The permanent exhibition shows how thousands of prisoners of war from 1937, and during much of the dictatorship, and later common criminals, were used to rebuild towns, infrastructure, or to build roads, reservoirs and railways.
2024
In 2024, the Basque Railway Museum opened to the public for 300 days and was visited by a total of 26,175 people (25,361 in the previous year). Furthermore, since 1998, the Azpeitia Museum (Gipuzkoa) has managed the running of the Urola Valley Steam Train, the only tourist railway on the Iberian Peninsula operated using coal-powered steam locomotives, in conjunction with the Association of Friends of the Basque Railway Museum. The regular service was used by 13,385 people in 2024 (13,746 in 2023).
The steam train can also be contracted for special services. In 2024, the Museum broke all previous records in that respect with 113 special journeys (84 in 2023). Those services are usually contracted by school groups, social groups and also by travel agencies.
Yet again in 2024, the Basque Railway Museum continued to provide its customary activities, including:
- Service for researchers of the history of the Railway
- Shooting film sequences and television programmes
- Working with international and national entities related to tourist Railways and Museums
- Stoker for a day activity during the regular steam train seasons
- Diesel train service on working days (Tuesday to Friday) in August
- Dissemination of the railway's history at courses, conferences, roundtables, etc.
- Special classic train days at events such as the International Museum Day, the Museum's Anniversary in October (it celebrated its 30th in 2024) and the end of the season in December
- Guided tours
INFORMATION
The following services are available for people interested in obtaining information on the Euskotren's Basque Railway Museum, located at calle Julián Elorza 8 in Azpeitia:
- Information Hotline: 943 15 06 77
- Fax: 943 15 07 46
- Email: museoa@euskotren.eus
- Website: www.euskotren.eus