This global survey of transit hubs will make you regret your next flight Travelers coping with increased delays and security lines and downright bad airport design often wish for a return to the golden age of air travel, when luxurious service, spacious cabins, and a more carefree attitude were the norm. That sounds unthinkable today, considering the upcoming holiday travel season. But those seeking out design excellence may want to look back at the golden age of railroad travel. Late 19th and early 20th century train stations combined classical architectural styles and a desire to embody modernism and forward momentum, resulting in grand public buildings that served as both gateways and symbols of an optimistic new age. Curbed collected some of the best examples of classic designs?as well as a few contemporary examples that capture the skill and grandiose scale of traditional transit hubs?to celebrate these unique buildings, and perhaps inspire some wanderlust.
Bara Eikon: Flickr/Creative Commons

Milano Centrale (Milan, Italy)
This expansive arched station, which opened in 1931, may have been modeled after Washington, D.C.?s famous Union Station, but it also looked ahead by incorporating a number of Art Deco flourishes. A replacement for the city?s previous central station, which was built in 1864, Milano Centrale features a series a wide steel canopies designed by Alberto Fava, part of streamlined look. Design and then construction kicked off ...