About the train Station
On the 6th October 1890, the section of railway line that passes through the Guadarranque river valley west of the town of San Roque was inaugurated. The first train passed through after stopping at the very English looking station building, on its way to Jimena de la Frontera, which on that day was the end of the line.
The railway was built by the English Company, the Algeciras (Gibraltar) Railway Company Ltd and is familiarly known as ‘Mr Henderson’s Railway’ after the man who funded the project. When completed in 1892, the line ran from Algeciras to Bobadilla via Ronda.
In 1890, Estacion San Roque did not exist. The railway station buildings were the only architectural feature in the valley some four kilometres west of the town of San Roque. The original booking office is still there, now sadly dilapidated, and replaced by a modern brick building.
Gradually the district, nominally part of the municipality of San Roque, expanded and today there are about 2,500 inhabitants. The road through the district, the A405, runs from the A7 road, 22 kilometres south of Sotogrande, over a level crossing and then all the way to Ronda through some of the most majestic scenery in Andalucia.
For a small town Estacion San Roque has three surprisingly good restaurants. Restaurante Asador La Portuguesa, as the name suggests, specialises in Portuguese food, whilst Restaurante Guardavias and Restaurante El Guadarnes serve typically Spanish fare.
