Trams in Barcelona | |||
---|---|---|---|
Operation | |||
Locale | Barcelona | ||
Open | 1872 | ||
Status | open | ||
Routes | 7 | ||
Operator(s) | TMB (1 route) TramMet (6 routes in 2 systems) | ||
Infrastructure | |||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Propulsion system(s) | electric | ||
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Historically, the city of Barcelona, in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, had a large tramway network. The city's first tram line opened in 1872, but almost all of these historic lines had closed by 1971, being replaced by buses and by the expanding Barcelona Metro. The one remaining line, the Tramvia Blau, was retained as tourist attraction, using historic rolling stock. However at the beginning of the 21st century, two new tram systems, the Trambaix and Trambesòs, opened in the suburbs of the city. [1]
The first tramway line in Barcelona was the Barcelona-Gràcia (Josepets), a horse tramway that opened by the Barcelona Tramways company on June 28, 1872. Within a few years, lines were built throughout Barcelona and many of its surrounding villages. As the tramways helped to integrate the metropolis, these villages became quarters of today's Barcelona. [1]
Lines were built by a number of companies, but by the 1900s the two main companies were Barcelona Tramways and Compañía General de Tranvías. Electrification took place in the 1900s, with the introduction of route numbers following from 1910 onwards. In 1925, the two main companies merged to Tranvías de Barcelona (TB). The Spanish Civil War (1936–39) caused major damage to the tramways. [1]
In March 1st, 1951, citizens launched a two-week boycott of the trams against a fare increase.
Services recovered in the 1950s and 1960s, and double-decker trams were used to operate some services. In the early 1960s, a fleet of 101 PCC cars were purchased second-hand from the United States city of Washington and, after modification, placed in service in Barcelona. [1] [2] [3]
However closures then started to happen. With the exception of the Tramvia Blau, the last two tramway lines operated on March 18, 1971. For the next thirty years or so, this one short line was the only tramway in Barcelona. [1]
Towards the end of the 1980s a number of new tramways were opened in other European cities, and Barcelona started to consider the possibility of building new lines. To test this idea, in 1997 a short test tramway was built along the Diagonal with just two tram stops. Tests were conducted with a tram from the Grenoble tram system in June 1997, and a month later with a Siemens Combino. [1]
The tests were successful, and the decision was made to build two new tram systems, both operating on parts of the Diagonal, although not interconnected. Both lines commenced operation in 2004, with TramBaix in the west starting on April 5, whilst Trambesòs in the east commenced on May 8. [1] [4] [5]
On 7 June 1926, architect Antoni Gaudí was struck by a passing number 30 tram of Les Tramways de Barcelone and lost consciousness. [6] [7] Assumed to be a beggar, the unconscious Gaudí did not receive immediate aid. Gaudí died on 10 June 1926 at the age of 73 and was buried two days later.
The Tramvia Blau is a 1.3 km (0.81 mi) long heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district. It links the Avinguda Tibidabo terminus of Barcelona Metro line L7 with the lower station of the Funicular del Tibidabo, thus providing part of a through link from the city centre to Tibidabo. [8]
Tramvia Blau is operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), albeit not part of Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) and therefore not fare-integrated with the other public transportation networks of the metropolitan area; ticketing is paid cash only to the tram operators. The line is operated with a fleet of seven tram cars dating from 1901 to 1906. [8]
The Trambaix is a light rail (tram) system connecting the Baix Llobregat area with the city of Barcelona. It includes three routes (T1, T2 and T3), which have an inner terminus at Plaça Francesc Macià, to the west of the city centre, and extend west, passing L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Sant Just Desvern and Consell Comarcal in Sant Feliu de Llobregat. [4]
The Trambaix is operated by the TramMet company and is part of the ATM network and is fare-integrated with the other public transportation networks of the metropolitan area. The line uses a fleet of Alstom Citadis trams. [4]
Trambesòs is a light rail (tram) system, consisting of three routes that connect the district of Sant Martí in Barcelona to Badalona and Sant Adrià de Besòs municipalities. Its name comes from the union of the words "tram", an abbreviation of the Catalan word tramvia, and "Besòs", the name of an area in northern Barcelonès dominated by river Besòs. [5]
Like the Trambaix, Trambesòs is operated by the TramMet company and is part of the ATM network and is fare-integrated with the other public transportation networks of the metropolitan area. It uses the same type of rolling stock as the Trambaix system. [5]
In November 2024, a new 3.9 km section of tramway connecting the Trambaix and Trambesòs networks was inaugurated. This section contains 6 new stops and utilises Alstom's catenary-free APS system. [9]
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain.
The Barcelona Metro is a network of rapid transit electrified railway lines that run mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport system of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, Spain, with unified fares under the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) scheme. As of 2024, the network is operated by two separate companies: Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC). It is made up of 12 lines, combining the lines owned by the two companies. Two lines, L9 and L10, are being built at present, with both lines having different sections of each opened between 2009 and 2018. They are due to be fully completed in 2030. Three lines on the network have opened as automatic train operation/driverless vehicle systems since 2009: Line 11 being converted to driverless first, and then Lines 9 and 10, opening up driverless.
The Trambaix is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is operated by TRAMMET connecting the Baix Llobregat area with the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It opened to the public on 5 April 2004 after a weekend when the tram could be used free of charge.
Trambesòs is a tram–light rail system in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia that links the Barcelona district of Sant Martí with Badalona and Sant Adrià de Besòs. Its name comes from the union of the words "tram", an abbreviation of the Catalan word for "tram" (tramvia), and "Besòs", the name of an area in the north of the Barcelonès region dominated by the Besòs River.
Line 8, coloured pink and operated by FGC, is part of the Barcelona Metro network, and therefore of the larger ATM fare-integrated transport system. It joins Plaça Espanya, in the Sants-Montjuïc district of Barcelona with metropolitan area municipalities of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat and Sant Boi de Llobregat.
The Metropolitan Transport Authority is a public consortium intended to coordinate the operation and project the expansion of the public transport system in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is made up of the Government of Catalonia and local administrations. It has been known as ATM Àrea de Barcelona since 2003 to differentiate it from the other existing Catalan public transport authorities in the Girona, Camp de Tarragona and Lleida areas, which are also identified as ATM. As of January 2015, the ATM-managed public transport system comprises 50 different operating companies and serves 346 municipalities, accounting for a population of over 5.7 million.
Gorg is a Barcelona Metro and Trambesòs complex named after the neighbourhood of the same name where the station is situated, in Badalona municipality. It is located on Avinguda del Marquès de Mont-Roig and very close to Palau Municipal d'Esports de Badalona, the home arena of the professional basketball club Joventut de Badalona. It is served by TMB-operated Barcelona Metro lines L2 and L10, and Trambesòs route T5.
The Barcelona–Vallès Line is an unconnected standard gauge rapid transit and commuter railway line linking Barcelona with Sabadell and Terrassa via the Collserola mountain range, in Catalonia, Spain. Its name refers to the Catalan historical region of Vallès, whereby most part of the line runs. Plaça de Catalunya station serves as the Barcelona terminus of the line, where almost all its trains either start or terminate. The line then continues northwards and branches off twice before leaving the city limits. Its main route splits in two in Sant Cugat del Vallès, forming two major branches to Sabadell and Terrassa. It has 40 passenger stations in operation and a total line length of 48.1 kilometres (29.9 mi).
The Tramvia Blau is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is a 1.276 kilometres (0.793 mi) long heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district between the terminus of FGC Barcelona Metro L7 and the Funicular del Tibidabo.
The Tibidabo Funicular is a funicular railway in the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects Plaça del Doctor Andreu, the upper terminus of the Tramvia Blau, with the summit of Tibidabo, where there is an amusement park and a church, the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor.
The R1 is a line of Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service, operated by Renfe Operadora. It runs northwards from the Barcelona area to the southern limits of the province of Girona, passing through the coastal Maresme region. Since 2014, some services have been extended further north towards Portbou, near the French border. These services are designated RG1 and are considered part of the Girona commuter rail service. The line had an annual ridership of 28 million in 2016, achieving an average weekday ridership of 102,214 according to 2008 data.
Airport T2 is both a Rodalies de Catalunya commuter rail station and a Barcelona Metro station serving terminal complex T2 of Barcelona–El Prat Airport. They are located adjacent to the airport's terminal T2B, in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat, to the southwest of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. The Rodalies de Catalunya station is the southern terminus of the current rail link coming from El Prat de Llobregat railway station. It is operated by Renfe Operadora and is served by Barcelona commuter rail service line R2 Nord. The metro station is on the airport branch of Barcelona Metro line 9 (L9) and is operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB).
Rail transport in Catalonia operates on three rail gauges and services are operated by a variety of public operators:
Tramvia Metropolità, SA (TramMet) is a company based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It's a joint venture of the companies FCC-Vivendi, COMSA, Acciona-Necso, Alstom, Sarbus, Soler&Sauret, Banc Sabadell and Société Générale. It was created in 1999 to operate the new tram systems in Barcelona, Trambaix and Trambesòs from April 27, 2000. The Trambaix network was inaugurated on April 3, 2004, whereas the inauguration of Trambesòs took a bit longer, May 8 of that year. The concession to the company will end in 2032.
The Diagonal line of the Barcelona Metro network was a proposed underground railway service in the Spanish city of Barcelona. The proposal was made by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) between 1989 and 1992. It would have been a line crossing the city's most important avenue, Avinguda Diagonal, from southwest to northeast, through central Barcelona. However, the project was finally abandoned.
Public transport in Barcelona is operated by several companies, most of which are part of the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, a transport authority managing services in the Barcelonès and the rest of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. This article is a summary with transport facilities and services strictly within the municipality of Barcelona, and contains links to more specific articles.
Public transport in Montcada i Reixac is a part of the transportation network in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. The town is located in a geographically strategic position, immediately to the north of Barcelona's Nou Barris district and surrounded by the hills of Collserola and the adjacent towns of Vallès, and contains a few train stations which articulate the rail transport in the urban region.
TramVallès, Tramvallès or Tramvia del Vallès is a proposed tram or light rail network in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Its name stems from the region of Vallès, which spans two counties north of the Catalan capital. The region is densely populated, includes the Autonomous University of Barcelona and current public transport services are insufficient for commuters. Following expressions of citizen support, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the governing body of Catalonia, approved the project in 2010. Tramvallès would serve the following municipalities: Montcada i Reixac, Ripollet, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Badia del Vallès, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barberà del Vallès, Sabadell and Terrassa.
Sant Adrià de Besòs and Estació de Sant Adrià are a Rodalies de Catalunya commuter rail station and a Trambesòs tram stop, respectively, together forming an interchange station complex in Sant Adrià de Besòs, to the north-east of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. The Rodalies de Catalunya station is on the Barcelona to Maçanet-Massanes via Mataró railway, between Barcelona El Clot-Aragó and Badalona. It is operated by Renfe Operadora and is served by Barcelona commuter rail service line R1 and Girona commuter rail service line RG1. The Trambesòs stop is the northern terminus of routes T4 and T6 and is operated by TRAM.