Compania de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de Espana

The Compania de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de Espana, known simply as Norte, was a Spanish railway company founded on December 29, 1858. It built and operated one of Spain's most extensive rail networks, centered on the 633 kilometer Madrid to Irun line at the French border and extending to Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and the Cantabrian ports, later absorbing competing lines. The company continued operating through the Spanish Civil War despite severe destruction, including damage to 56 percent of its stations and 27 percent of its bridges and tunnels. At the start of 1941, after 83 years of operation, its broad gauge lines were nationalized and folded into the new state railway Renfe.