It is located 1 km north of the city centre after Lavov most, on Marie Louise Boulevard in the immediate proximity of the Central Bus Station Sofia.

The building was designed by the architects Antonín Kolář, Václav Prošek and Marinov, and built with the participation of Italian specialists under Bulgarian undertaker Ivan Grozev between 1882 and 1888.

It was a one-storey building, 96 m long and 12 m wide, featuring a small clock tower looking towards Vitosha on the façade and a second storey in the western and eastern part.

The railway station was chosen to be one of 30 buildings that would be renovated, rebuilt or constructed as part of the 30 year celebration since the 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état.

[1] On 15 April 1974, the old building was completely demolished in order to make way for the new rail terminal, which was slated to be opened with a ceremony on 6 September of the same year.

(~10 million euro) In 2012, it was announced that the aging railway station would see a major overhaul, slated to be finished by 2014, but eventually delayed to 2016.