[1][2][3] The station lies in the Fort Pienc neighbourhood of the Eixample district of Barcelona, some 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) from Plaça de Catalunya.

[2][4] The original railway station on the site was built in phases, from 1861, on land that had previously been occupied by Fort Pienc, a fortress raised by Philip V following the fall of Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession.

The original façade, by P. Andrés i Puigdoller in a neoclassical style, still exists on the south-eastern side of the station facing the park.

Across the end of this train shed and facing the Plaça d'André Malraux, a new facade was constructed to a design by Demetri Ribes, comprising an enclosed glass arch flanked by wings with elements of Catalan Modernism and Vienna Secession styles.

However, in 1987 it was announced that the 1992 Summer Olympics would include table tennis, and Estació del Nord was selected as the venue for that competition.

The sports facilities were first used for an Olympic test event in 1991, whilst the bus station was commissioned after the completion of the games.