Extended at great cost after 1978, Nyugati tér also acts as forecourt to the West Railway Station
It is the most important and perhaps most beautiful example of cast-iron architecture in the Hungarian capital. The first trains in Hungary departed from the site of the West Railway Station as early as 1846. It is a terminus comprising two brick side-buildings with brick curtain walls and a glass-roofed hall above the railway tracks at the centre. The platform hall is supported by filigree cast-iron supports, like the ones developed for the Crystal Palace in London. The designs for what at the time was a highly modern construction were produced by the Eiffel firm in Paris. It is well worth taking a look into the interior of the platform hall: everything appears to be as in the old days. Being at the end of the line, the Nyugati pályaudvar is only significant for local rail transport.
