The Plazaola railway, which used to link the cities of San Sebastián and Pamplona, started its life as a modest mining railway connecting the mines at Plazaola with the Ferrocarril del Norte station at Andoain.

This first section was the basis for a later extension in 1914 towards San Sebastián and Pamplona. The new one-metre gauge railway was designed for passengers and goods and was never more than a modest success. After the civil war the railway’s financial situation, never very buoyant, became critical. Finally the floods of 1953 swept away some of the bridges and sections of the track providing the perfect excuse to close the railway down.