Hidden deep beneath the city streets, these abandoned, disused and forgotten subway stations are a fascinating window to the past. Some have been transformed into museums or used as film sets, while others slowly slip into oblivion. Take a look at these incredible abandoned stations and read the captivating stories behind them.

Located between Strasbourg-Saint-Denis and Republique stations, Saint-Martin closed in 1939 at the onset of the Second World War. Although it briefly opened after the conflict, it was closed again due to its close proximity to Strasbourg-Saint-Denis station. Most of the walls of Saint-Martin are now covered in graffiti, however, some sections are still said to have original posters from the 1930s. In the past it has also been used as a homeless shelter, as well as for publicity events.

The first terminus for Paris’ Métro line 10, Croix-Rouge was only open between 1923 and 1939. It never reopened after the Second World War and has since fallen into disrepair. Interestingly, all 12 Paris Métro stations that closed before the war have either been abandoned, turning into stations fantômes (ghost stations), or repurposed.

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Part of Paris' Porte des Lilas station closed in 1929, but it's been a popular filming location since the 1970s. It was last open to the public in 2017, during European Heritage Days, when visitors could tour the platforms and see the restored subway cars.

Part of the station still remains operational and the disused platforms have appeared in films like Amélie and Julie & Julia. During shoots, producers are free to change all of the décor and even the name of the station. But it doesn't come cheap – 10 hours of filming costs around €15,000 (£13,147/$17,000).

One of London’s most famous ghost stations, Aldwych tube station was part of a spur on the Piccadilly line and closed in 1994. The crimson-tiled entrance is still visible from the Strand and, below street level, the original lobby, wooden-panelled lifts and vintage posters are preserved.

So why was it closed? When today's Piccadilly Line (then known as the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway) was formed out of a merger of two different tube lines, Aldwych became just an isolated offshoot of the new line. Footfall declined, and it no longer made financial sense to keep it open, so Aldwych shut for good in 1994.

The station is a popular filming location, appearing in movies like V for Vendetta, 28 Weeks Later and Darkest Hour. The London Transport Museum runs virtual tours of the station via Zoom, which can be booked online. 

Although Euston is one of London’s busiest stations – linking several tube, overground and rail lines – there’s a whole system of disused tunnels hiding underground that not many people know about.

When the mainline station was rebuilt in the 1960s, along with the then-new Victoria line, the old connecting passageways, some of the tunnels and ticket hall became redundant. The London Transport Museum typically runs regular tours and they're due to resume in 2022. 

This central London station, located on the Piccadilly line, was only in operation for 25 years. Located in Mayfair, between Dover Street (now called Green Park) and Hyde Park Corner, it was little-used and trains often passed through without stopping.

During the Second World War, it was transformed into the Railway Executive Committee's bomb-proof shelter, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his War Cabinet used it as a shelter during the height of the Blitz.

Part of Down Street's red terracotta tile façade is still visible from street level. In 2015, Transport for London invited submissions for new uses for the space, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

Unknown to most commuters using the London Underground system, there’s a line running between Paddington Station and Whitechapel, but it’s not meant for people. The Post Office Railway, also known as Mail Rail, helped mail travel between the two sorting offices from 1927 to 2003. A museum opened in 2017, allowing visitors to ride the Mail Rail carriages through the narrow tunnels. 

As downtown congestion increased rapidly in the first quarter of the 20th century, the construction of the Cincinnati Subway began in the early 1900s. However, escalating costs, the collapse of funding due to political uncertainty and the Great Depression meant that the project was subsequently abandoned. In 1928, it was cancelled and there have been no plans to revive it since. Today it is the largest abandoned subway tunnel system in the United States.

Did you know that the current Los Angeles subway system isn’t the first one the city has ever had? The original Subway Terminal Building, now known as Metro 417, was the Red Car subway terminal and served more than 65,000 commuters during the 1940s. 

Now check out these charming vintage photographs of underground travel

Below the building, the tracks, platforms and even the signage still remains. But visitors are no longer allowed as the building above has been transformed into luxury apartments.

Constructed in the 1980s, Antwerp’s subterranean tunnels were supposed to be served by trams, which would later be upgraded to a full rapid transit system. Although much of Antwerp’s Premetro still runs today, tunnels connecting the city centre with the eastern suburbs were never finished due to a lack of funding.

One of the 28 original stations on the first subway line in Manhattan, Worth Street Station opened in 1904. Although the platforms at this station were lengthened twice, it was still not enough to accommodate the growing number of commuters and it was closed in 1957. Trains running between Canal Street and Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall still pass through the station and its graffiti-covered walls.

Built as a terminus for local trains running on the IND Fulton Street Line, Court Street station was open for 10 years, between 1936 and 1946. Since it was located near other stations that ran direct services to Manhattan, it received little footfall during its brief time in operation.

In 1976, the Transit Authority set up a temporary exhibition called the New York City Transit Exhibit, moving old subway cars and other artefacts into the station. But the exhibition was such a hit that it became permanent, and today has become the New York Transit Museum.

Two fully powered and operational subway tracks still remain, as do a series of preserved railcars, including the first wooden cars from 1908 and the 1950s stock.

First opened in 1913, this station has been through a series of changes. It's now a part of the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall/Chambers Street station complex, and only two platforms remain – a surviving east-side wall platform and a destroyed west-side platform.

One of the platforms that faces the old Chambers Street platform is still in use by the downtown J & M trains on weekdays. This gives photographers the perfect opportunity to snap the abandoned platform opposite.

Commissioned by the 32nd US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, this station, hidden below the Waldorf Astoria hotel, was never intended to be open to the public.

An extension of Grand Central Station, it was built to help Roosevelt keep his polio diagnosis private while commuting between New York and Washington DC. Roosevelt's private train car is now housed in the Danbury Railway Museum in Connecticut.

Hiding below the Bay station main platform is an abandoned platform that was only in use for six months in 1966. The platform was part of a failed interlining experiment.

Much of the infrastructure is still present and although the platform isn’t usually accessible, it has been open to the public on various events, including Doors Open Toronto in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

Part of Sheung Wan station, the Rumsey Station platforms were constructed in the 1970s as the southern terminus of the East Kowloon Line. However, the plans changed mid-project. While the platforms were finished, the tracks were never laid so they have never been used. Today, they serve as a passageway between the concourse and the open platforms, near Exit E.

Arguably one of the world’s most famous ghost stations, New York City’s City Hall station is exceptionally beautiful with brass chandeliers, coloured glass tile work and skylights.

The station opened in 1904 as part of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line, but was subsequently closed in 1945 due to short platforms. New York Transit Museum typically runs regular tours of the station – check the website for updates.

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Opened in 1907, Canal Street station originally had four platforms, but right from the beginning only one was used. Then, in 1914, a rearrangement meant that its two central tracks ended inside the station, while the northbound track was moved to the south.

The station closed for good in 2004, after its northbound platform was taken out of service. Today, its entrances have been completely closed off, with decaying paintwork and graffiti telling tales of 15 years of neglect.

Just like all the other subway systems built by the Soviet Union, Kyiv’s metro system was never intended to just transport commuters from A to B. Several nuclear-proof tunnels, bunkers and warehouses are hidden within the complex. Today they're only really visited by urban explorers, and it’s unclear how far these tunnels stretch, where exactly they lead to and exactly how they can be accessed.

The most famous of these abandoned stations is Lvivska Brama. Building works began on the station in the 1990s, but it was soon left to rot due to a lack of funding. It's been left empty ever since, although trains still pass through it.

It's been used for various purposes throughout the years, including serving as a catwalk during a fashion show in 2013. Despite various plans to turn it into a fully functioning station, nothing has materialised yet and its tunnels remain hauntingly empty.

One of Madrid’s original eight metro stops and opened in 1919, Estación de Chamberí was closed in 1966. Unfortunately, the station was no longer able to accommodate larger, more modern trains.

It was inspired by the look of the Parisian stations at the time, and a lot of its original features have been preserved, including posters, benches and even turnstiles. In 2008 it reopened as a museum with many period features restored to offer a realistic portrayal of life in the 1920s. The museum offers free guided tours which can be booked online.

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Akin to a scene from an apocalyptic movie, Caojiawan Metro Station is eerily haunting. Located close to Chongqing in China, the station was built in 2015 to connect the rural suburb of Caijiagang with the city centre. The station has three exits, but only one of them is in use. The others are slowly being overtaken by Mother Nature. No residential buildings, roads or shops can be found anywhere near the station and the barren surrounding land only adds to the mysterious feels this station gives off.