12 Haunted Train Stations That Locals Still Avoid After Dark

1. Union Station – Los Angeles, California

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By day, Union Station is a stunning example of Mission Revival architecture and one of the busiest transit hubs on the West Coast. But after the last train departs, the mood changes dramatically. Security guards have reported hearing phantom footsteps echoing across the marble floors and seeing the flicker of a woman’s figure in a long white dress near the old ticket counters. Some say she’s a lost traveler from the 1930s who never made it home.

Others think she’s connected to a tragic accident that happened during the station’s construction. Even skeptical workers admit that certain corridors just “feel wrong” at night. They say if you’re there after midnight, you can hear soft whispers drifting through the tunnels, like someone calling your name. For all its beauty, Union Station holds an undeniable air of mystery once the city goes quiet.

2. St. Louis Union Station – St. Louis, Missouri

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Once one of the grandest train stations in America, St. Louis Union Station has a long history—and a few lingering spirits. Hotel staff now working inside the restored building say guests often wake up to the sound of trains that no longer exist. Some report seeing a conductor checking his pocket watch before disappearing into thin air.

The station was once so busy that hundreds of thousands passed through daily, and not all of them left alive. A fatal accident in the early 1900s reportedly left more than one restless soul behind. In the old baggage area, lights flicker and cold drafts appear with no explanation. Even paranormal investigators have picked up unexplained voices calling for help.

3. Grand Central Terminal – New York City, New York

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It’s no surprise that one of the world’s busiest transit centers comes with a few ghost stories of its own. Grand Central’s lower levels, especially the now-closed Track 61 once used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, are said to be haunted by workers who died during the station’s construction. Conductors have claimed to see shadowy figures walking along the tunnels before vanishing into the darkness.

In the whispering gallery, some visitors say they hear strange voices responding when no one else is nearby. The energy of millions of commuters passing through over a century seems to have left a permanent mark. At night, the station’s echoing halls feel more like a cathedral for the lost than a travel hub. Few who work late like to linger after the last departure.

4. Union Station – Nashville, Tennessee

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This beautiful Gothic building now serves as a luxury hotel, but its past as a bustling rail hub is full of eerie tales. Guests have reported waking up to see a ghostly woman in a long gown standing at the foot of their beds. Locals believe she’s Abigail, a young woman who threw herself from the station’s tower in the 1920s after her soldier fiancé never returned from war.

Her spirit is said to wander the hallways, searching for the train that would have brought him home. Staff have also mentioned seeing lights turn on in empty rooms and hearing doors slam on still nights. Though the hotel’s charm is undeniable, there’s an unmistakable sadness beneath its beauty. It’s one of those places where history and heartbreak seem to share the same walls.

5. Glen Ellen Station – Glen Ellen, California

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Now abandoned, this tiny wooden station once served travelers visiting Sonoma County’s wineries. Locals warn that strange lights can be seen hovering above the tracks late at night. The most famous ghost is a former stationmaster who died when a freight train derailed nearby in the 1920s. People claim to hear him ringing his old signal bell, even though it’s been gone for decades.

Nearby residents have also reported hearing old-fashioned train whistles when no trains run in the area anymore. Ghost hunters who’ve visited describe a heavy feeling of sorrow in the air. Some even say their cameras malfunctioned the moment they stepped inside. Whatever remains there, it doesn’t seem ready to let go of its post.

6. The Old Union Station – Phoenix, Arizona

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This desert landmark opened in 1923 and welcomed everyone from Hollywood stars to politicians—but it also saw tragedy. The ghost of a telegraph operator who worked there during the Depression reportedly still lingers. Late-night maintenance crews have heard the rhythmic clicking of a telegraph machine long removed from the building. Others claim to see a man in a hat pacing the empty platform before dawn.

The city has plans to restore the station, but many say the spirits inside aren’t ready to leave. Even pigeons seem to avoid the building’s upper windows, which some say glow faintly at night. There’s something about that place that refuses to let go of its past. For those who’ve worked there, the silence is sometimes the scariest sound of all.

7. Liverpool Lime Street Station – Liverpool, England

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Across the Atlantic, this British station has a reputation for eerie happenings that date back centuries. The most famous ghost is a Victorian man in a bowler hat seen sitting quietly on benches late at night. When approached, he vanishes. Workers have also heard phantom trains, their brakes screeching as if arriving from nowhere.

One guard even claimed to see a misty figure crossing the tracks before disappearing into a wall. Some link the hauntings to a fatal accident in the 19th century, when construction workers were buried during a collapse. Locals avoid walking through alone after the last train leaves. Even hardened commuters admit there’s something chilling in the air.

8. Union Station – Kansas City, Missouri

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Kansas City’s Union Station is breathtakingly beautiful, but it also has a darker history. In 1933, the “Kansas City Massacre” took place here, when gangsters opened fire on FBI agents in a bloody shootout. Witnesses say you can still hear gunshots echoing through the grand hall on quiet nights. Security guards have reported doors unlocking by themselves and shadows moving across the walls.

Visitors sometimes feel cold spots near the old loading docks, right where the tragedy occurred. Paranormal teams have recorded faint voices and sudden temperature drops. Despite its family-friendly attractions today, employees swear some parts of the building remain haunted by those caught in the crossfire. Beauty and violence seem permanently intertwined here.

9. Central Station – Sydney, Australia

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This massive train hub in the heart of Sydney has seen everything from soldiers departing for war to mysterious deaths. For decades, travelers have reported feeling watched in the dimly lit tunnels beneath the station. Some describe a woman dressed in 19th-century clothing who appears near the platforms late at night. She’s said to look lost, clutching a small suitcase, before fading into thin air.

Workers often hear footsteps on the stairs after everyone has gone home. The most unsettling part? Security footage occasionally picks up motion in sealed-off areas where no one should be. Australians who commute through Central say they’re not superstitious—but they still prefer to catch the earlier train.

10. Union Station – Toronto, Canada

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Toronto’s Union Station has a long history of hauntings tied to its role during wartime. It’s said that soldiers who once passed through on their way to battle never fully left. Late-night travelers claim to see men in World War II uniforms standing silently near the platforms. Others have described hearing the faint sound of marching boots echoing from nowhere.

The old basement tunnels are particularly creepy, with rumors of strange whispers and flickering lights. One janitor even quit after hearing someone call his name repeatedly when he was alone. Locals who work the night shift there say the energy changes completely once the crowds thin out. The past feels closer than ever when the trains stop running.

11. Addiscombe Station – Croydon, England

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Though the station closed in the late ’90s, locals in Croydon still report ghostly sightings near the site. One recurring apparition is that of a young boy who supposedly died playing near the tracks long ago. Residents walking their dogs claim to see him running alongside the tracks before vanishing. Others hear a distant whistle from a train that hasn’t existed in decades.

Some nights, people have spotted an old stationmaster in uniform waving a lantern in the fog. The whole area feels stuck between eras, as if time itself got confused. Even though the platforms are gone, something seems to linger where the trains once roared. Croydon locals say they still feel watched when they pass by after dark.

12. Broad Street Station – Richmond, Virginia

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Now part of the Science Museum of Virginia, this former station still carries a few chilling secrets. Visitors have reported seeing spectral figures in conductor uniforms wandering through the halls. Security staff say they sometimes hear the sound of a train pulling in—even though the tracks were removed long ago. There are stories of passengers who never made it out after a fiery derailment in the 1800s.

Their ghosts are said to haunt the old waiting area, appearing as faint outlines in the dim light. Some museum workers refuse to close up alone at night. They say you can still feel the rumble of ghostly trains passing beneath your feet. Even science can’t explain everything that happens inside those walls.

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