Culture

Masadas Blancas

This railway siding is located in a trench and consists of several buildings abandoned buildings in various states of disrepair. It was part of the mining railway line that facilitated the transport of raw materials extracted from the Ojos Negros iron mine in Teruel, owned by the Compañía Minera de Sierra Menera, to the Port of Sagunto for distribution. The mining company created its own railway line due to the high prices imposed by the Compañía Central de Aragón on the line between Zaragoza and Sagunto. So in 1907, the first railway began to run through this station, inaugurating a route that was active until 1972, when the line was definitively closed.

The establishment of this railway played a crucial role in fostering the development of the nearby towns, whose economies were heavily reliant on the production from the mine. This initiative helped launch a line that revitalised the region’s economy, bringing significant benefits to an area of the peninsula that had traditionally faced economic challenges. In fact, this station was built to allow goods trains to cross, but it was also used by the inhabitants of nearby villages to access the railway service and travel to large neighbouring towns.

Although the mining railway line is no longer in operation, there is a modern line running through the area, which links Zaragoza with Valencia and runs along a new track parallel to the old railway line.

While the station is not as busy today as it was in the past, it is in pretty good condition compared to other abandoned stations along the route. Nearby there is a picnic area with benches and wooden tables and a bike rack.