When Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Tuscany decided to order the construction of a railway line to connect Livorno and Florence, four routes were proposed, only one of which passed through Pisa. British engineer Robert Stephenson who practised in the first half of the 19th century, convinced the Grand Duke of the opportuneness of conjugating economic-commercial necessities with those of the population, suggesting a route which passed through Livorno, Pisa, Pontedera, Empoli, and Florence, so that it could be used to transport goods and people. The realisation of the project by successive blocks required seven years: the construction of the first tract between Livorno and Pisa went on from June 1841 to March 13, 1844, day of its inauguration. This was also the period of the construction of the Station that was to receive the first tract of the Leopolda railway. Designed by Florentine architect Giuseppe Martelli and still in good repair, the structure was divided into two aisles measuring 66 metres in length, dived by arches and covered by a trussed roof. Declassed to the role of freight yard after the construction of the new central station, the Leopolda Station was used as the fruit and vegetable market from 1929 to 1993. It was only thanks to the concern of numerous city associations that, in the late 1990s, it was decided to rehabilitate the structure to transform it into a modern multifunctional centre. Today entrusted to the "Casa della Città Leopolda", the Station promotes initiatives of a social and cultural nature throughout the year.