Palma Metro

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Palma Metro
Logo del Metro de Palma.svg
MP Train.JPG
Overview
Locale Palma, Mallorca, Spain
Transit type Rapid transit/Light metro
Number of lines1 [1]
Number of stations9 [1]
Daily ridership6,575 (2016)
Annual ridership1.2 million (2016) [2]
Website http://www.tib.org/portal/web/ctm/metro
Operation
Began operation25 April 2007 [3]
Operator(s) SFM
Number of vehicles CAF SFM Series 71 & 81
Train length3 cars
Headway 20-30 minutes
Technical
System length15.6 km (9.7 mi)
Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification 1500 V DC overhead
Top speed100 km/h (62 mph)
Network map of Palma Metro (including the now-closed line M2) Map of Palma metro.svg
Network map of Palma Metro (including the now-closed line M2)

The Palma Metro (Catalan : Metro de Palma, Spanish : Metro de Palma [de Mallorca]) is a light metro system in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The system is operated by the Consorci de Transports de Mallorca (CTM).

As of 2024, the system consists of a single 7.2-kilometre-long (4.5 mi) line, the M1, with nine stations, [3] [1] linking Palma's city centre with the University of the Balearic Islands on the edge of the city. Between 2013 and 2022 there existed a second line, the M2, which ran between Palma and the town of Marratxí.

In 2016, the Palma Metro carried 1.2 million passengers, an average of 3,288 per day. [2]

History

Construction began in 2005 and the line fully opened to passengers on 25 April 2007. [3] The project had cost 312 million euros. [4] However, the line was forced to suspend its operations just five months after opening, due to repeated flooding in the tunnels. [5] Services restarted on 28 July 2008 after a 46% cost overrun. [6]

In November 2012, the CTM announced that a second metro line would be added to the system, operating on a route that would serve ten stations between Palma's city centre and Marratxí station (inclusive). Revenue service on this new line, dubbed the M2, began on 13 March 2013. The M2 shared all its track with the already-existing mainline that links Palma with Inca, Sa Pobla and Manacor; as such, the work necessary to launch the line was minimal. The line was discontinued on 29 April 2022; since then, the intermediate stations between Palma and Marratxí have instead been served by the mainline trains.

Route and services

The M1 line has 9 stations. From south to north, these are: Palma Intermodal–Plaça d'Espanya, Jacint Verdaguer, Son Costa–Son Fortesa, Son Fuster Vell, Son Castelló, Gran Via Asima, Camí dels Reis, Son Sardina and UIB. [7]

The first three stations are also served by mainline services [8] (and were formerly served by the M2). Furthermore, Palma Intermodal–Plaça d'Espanya station, in the city centre, is Mallorca's main transport hub – in addition to the metro and mainline services, this interchange also features: a large underground bus station, which is used by interurban buses to towns and villages all over Mallorca; a series of surface-level bus stops used by Palma's urban bus network; and a separate surface-level station used by the Sóller heritage railway. The latter also connects with the Metro at Son Sardina station.

The majority of the line is in tunnels; the only exception is a short section of line centred around the station at Son Sardina.

Services on the M1 run between approximately 6:30 and 22:00 Monday to Friday, and between 7:00 and 15:00 on Saturdays. There is no Sunday service. [7]

During university term times, the Monday–Friday service pattern on the line consists of a train every 20 minutes in each direction throughout most of the day (with marginally more frequent services in the morning peak); during the holiday period this is reduced to every 30-40 minutes. On Saturdays, trains run every 30 minutes during term time and every 60 minutes otherwise. [7]

Services on the line have an end-to-end journey time of 13 minutes. [7]

Future expansion

As early as 2005, prior to the opening of the metro, future extensions were proposed, including from Estació Intermodal to the Port of Palma, using an old tunnel underneath the city. [9]

Parc BIT

Parc BIT Edifici Parc Bit.JPG
Parc BIT

In 2019, a one-station, 1.5 km extension of M1 from its current UIB terminus to the Parc Bit science and technology park was agreed, [10] and is due to open in 2020. [11] This extension is predicted to cost €11.5 million and carry 225,000 passengers annually. [12]

Son Espases University Hospital

A 2.1 km branch from Camí dels Reis station to the Son Espases University Hospital  [ ca; es ] was proposed in 2019. [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Línies / Metro Palma" [Lines / Metro Palma] (in Catalan). TIB - Consorci de Transports de Mallorca (CTM). Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  2. 1 2 "Spanish sleaze: Majorca faces corruption clean-up". BBC News. 28 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "SFM network (then go to "Metro" page)". Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM). Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  4. ↑ "Diario de Mallorca - El precio final del metro subió 77 millones sobre lo reconocido". diariodemallorca.es es un (in Spanish). Editorial Prensa Ibérica. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  5. ↑ "Mallorca Rail Development, Spain". Railway-Technology.com. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  6. ↑ "Palma metro reopens on Monday amid row over 46% cost overrun". Majorca Daily Bulletin. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Routes - Metro Palma - M1". TIB - Consorci de Transports de Mallorca (CTM). Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  8. ↑ "SFM Network - Train & metro stations". Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM). Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  9. ↑ Mariona Cerdó (September 2005). "El túnel del puerto se recuperará para construir una línea de Metro". El Mundo. Archived from the original on 2013-04-12. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  10. ↑ "Un total de tres empresas optan a la redacción del proyecto de ampliación del metro hasta el Parc Bit". Europa Press. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "METRO EXTENSION IN PALMA FOR 2020". Ultima Hora. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  12. ↑ "La línea de metro hasta el ParcBit costará el doble de lo previsto para que sea más rápida". Ultima Hora. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  13. ↑ "Cinco empresas optan a la redacción del proyecto para ampliar la línea de metro Palma-UIB hasta Son Espases". La Vanguardia. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.

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