Railways in
Spain
An AVE High Speed Train of RENFE passes a spectacular hilltop castle
The first railway in Spain opened on 28th October, 1848 between
Barcelona and Mataro. Although the standard gauge of 1435mm had by then
been adopted in several European countries, the new line used a broader
gauge of 1674mm (6 Castilian feet). This was generally adopted for new main
lines in Spain and of course resulted in a break of gauge at the French
border when trains eventually reached it. Neighbouring Portugal had a
slightly different gauge of 1664mm which did permit interoperation;
however with increasing speeds in the late 19th / early 20th centuries
ride and wear became a problem so the systems of both countries were
gradually reconfigured to a compromise gauge of 1668mm, which became known
as Iberian gauge.
Unlike the break of gauge situation between Great Britain and Ireland,
which involved a sea crossing anyway, or between Russia and the rest of
Europe which historically was never a heavily used land crossing for
political reasons, overland international traffic between Spain and
neighbouring France has always been significant. Elaborate gauge-changing
facilities at Irun and Hendaye on the Atlantic coast, and Port Bou and
Cerbère on the Mediterranean, allow both freight and passenger trains to
conduct a relatively uninterrupted journey across the French border. At
one time, there was even a Madrid to Moscow sleeping car service, which
involved two changes of gauge.
As well as the Iberian gauge network, there were also a great number
of narrow gauge lines, mainly metre gauge. Many of these remain in
operation.
The first dedicated high speed line (AVE) between Madrid and Seville
opened in 1992 with a gauge of 1435mm. This enabled the project to use
essentially off-the shelf French technology, but is not without its own
problems, not least that the new lines required their own infrastructure
into the city centres that they serve. Automatic gauge changing facilities
are provided for trains that run beyond the high speed network onto
existing lines.
Main line and regional railways
- RENFE passenger
and freight operator on the national broad gauge network and passenger
operator on the former FEVE network of narrow gauge lines in the north
of the country
- Avlo
low cost, book in advance high speed train services operated by
RENFE
- Ouigo
low cost, book in advance high speed train services operated by a
subsidiary of SNCF
- Comsa Rail Transport independent freight operator
- Tracción Rail independent freight operator
- Transfesa
independent freight operator
- Constru-Rail
freight operator on the former FEVE network of narrow gauge lines in
the north of the country (Site in Spanish)
- ADIF infrastructure
authority for the national broad gauge network and the former FEVE network
of narrow gauge lines in the north of the country
- EuskoTren
Basque regional operator. Also operates steam tourist trains and the
Reinata funicular in Bilbao
- FGC Catalan
regional operator. Also operates tourist steam trains, and several
funiculars
- Infraestructures.cat infrastructure authority for
the Catalan region (Site in Catalan)
- Proposed
tunnel beneath the Straits of Gibraltar, connecting Spain with
Morocco
Port Railway
- Ferrol has an extensive rail network serving
the Inner Port, connecting with the national network. An extension to the Outer Port is projected,
which, amongst other things, will require a 5.6km tunnel and
a 600m viaduct (Website contains links to PDF documents
in Spanish)
Tourist & Museum Railways
- The AREMAF
offers rides in a historic diesel railcar on a short stretch of
Iberian gauge line at the Delicias Railway Museum in central
Madrid (Site in Spanish)
- The Basque
Railway Museum in Azpeitia offers steam hauled passenger train
rides on a 5km, metre gauge line between Azpeitia and Lasao
- Bulnes underground funicular in the Asturias, 2.2km
in length with a rise of 400m. Before the funicular was opened in 2001
the only way to reach to Bulnes was by a steep mule track, there being
no road access (Site in Spanish, provided by El Camino Real)
- Club Hotel
Giverola near Tossa de Mar has a private funicular linking the hotel
with its sports facilities (Site contains no information relating
to funicular)
- Montserrat (Catalunya) a rack railway connects the
FGC rail station Monistrol de Montserrat with the monastery and museum.
From the upper station of the rack railway near the monastery entrance,
two funiculars operate: one ascending to the church of St John at the
summit of the mountain; the other descending to the Holy Cave on the
historic pilgrim route to the monastery
- Tren del
Ciment (Cement Train) 3.5km section of a 600mm gauge former industrial
railway, now used to convey tourists from La Pobla de Lillet (Alt
Llobregat) to the Cement Museum at Castellar de n’Hug
- Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train) tourist train
using historic passenger coaches on the ADIF line between Madrid and
Aranjuez, 44km
- Tren dels
Llacs historic steam and diesel trains or modern tourist railcars on
the Iberian gauge FGC line between Lleida and La Pobla de Segur, a
distance of about 89km
- Vall de Núria
rack railway from Ribes de Freser to Núria in the Pyrenees
Miniature Railways
- AAAF
5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, almost 500m in length, at a
railway museum in Torrellano. Usually steam hauled (Site in
Spanish)
- AAF Reus
5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about 500m in length, in the
Parc del Ferrocarril de Misericòrdia, Reus. Usually battery electric
hauled (Site in Catalan)
- AFEVI
5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, almost 700m in length, in
the Parc de Ribes Roges, Vilanova i la Geltrú. Steam or diesel
hauled (Site in Catalan)
- AFRA
5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about 600m in length, in
the Parque Temático del Ferrocarril, Gimileo (Site in
Spanish)
- ASAFEGI
5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway, about 700m in
length, in the Parc de l’Estació, Fornells de la Selva. Usually
diesel hauled (Site in Catalan and Spanish)
- Carrilet de Vilamanya 7¼ / 15 inch (184 / 381mm)
gauge miniature railway, about 500m in length, located on the TP3211
road between Riudecanyes and Castell d´Escornalbou. Steam or
diesel hauled
- CEMFES
7¼ / 10 inch (184 / 256mm) gauge miniature railway, over 3km
in length, in the Parc de Catalunya, Sabadell. Steam or diesel
hauled (Site in Catalan)
- CFVRt
5 inch (127mm) gauge miniature railway, 680m in length, in the
Parque Municipal Maldonado, Riba-roja de Turia. Steam or diesel
hauled (Site in Spanish)
- Circuit
Ferroviari de Cal Gavatx 5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge
miniature railway, almost 500m in length, at the Centre d'Estudis
Ferroviaris Via Oberta, Les Franqueses del Vallès. Steam or diesel
hauled (Site in Catalan)
- Ferrocarril del Alamillo 5in (127mm) gauge
miniature railway, over 600m in length, in the Parque del Alamillo,
Sevilla. Steam, diesel or battery electric hauled (Site
in Spanish)
- Ferrocarril
de Can Mercader 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, over
1.5km in length, in the Parc de Can Mercader, Cornellà de
Llobregat. Steam or diesel hauled (Site in Catalan)
- Ferrocarril
Central de Galicia 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, about
470m in length, in the Parque Ferroviario de Os Carrileiros, Ourense.
Diesel or battery electric hauled (Site in Spanish)
- Ferrocarril de las Delicias 5in (127mm) gauge miniature
railway, 265m in length, at a railway museum in central Madrid.
Steam or diesel hauled (Site in Spanish)
- Ferrocarril
de Farja 5 / 7¼ inch (127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway,
over 1km in length, in the Parc del Trenet, Benicàssim. Diesel
or battery electric hauled (Site in Spanish)
- Ferrocarril
de la Granja 7¼ inch (184mm) gauge miniature railway,
over 1km in length, in the Parc Municipal de La Granja, Burjassot.
Steam or diesel hauled (Site in Spanish)
- Ferrocarril del Masnou 5in (127mm) gauge miniature
railway, over 200m in length, in the Parc de Caramar, El Masnou.
Steam or diesel hauled (Site in Catalan)
- Ferrocarril Vallesequillo 5in (127mm) gauge miniature
railway, about 200m in length, in the Parque de Vallesequillo, Jerez de la Frontera.
Steam or diesel hauled (Site in Spanish)
- Ferrocarril de Vallparadís 5 / 7¼ inch
(127 / 184mm) gauge miniature railway, 340 in length, in the Parc
de Vallparadís, Terrassa. Steam or diesel hauled (Site in
Catalan)
- Iraetako Trena 5 inch (127mm) gauge miniature
railway, 270 in length, in the Iraeta Railway Park, near Zestoa.
Steam, diesel or battery electric hauled (Site in Basque and
Spanish. Alternative website
with some information in English)
- Muferga
the Galician Railway Museum in Monforte de Lemos has a 5 inch (127mm)
gauge miniature railway abot 650m in length (Site in Spanish,
no details of miniature railway)
- Tren
Alcoy-Gandia 5in (127mm) gauge miniature railway, over 500m in
length, at a railway museum in Almoines. Steam or diesel hauled.
- Tren de
l’Orenata 5 / 7¼ / 10 inch (127 / 184 / 256mm) gauge miniature
railway over 600m in length in the Parc de l’Orenata, Barcelona.
Steam or diesel hauled (English version of site poorly
translated)
- Tren de
Palau 10 inch (256mm) gauge miniature railway almost 3km in
length in the Parc de l’Hostal del Fum, Palau-solità i Plegamans.
Steam or diesel hauled.
- Trenet de la Vall d’Aro 5 inch (1276mm) gauge
miniature railway, about 700m in length, in the Parc de l’Estació,
Castell d’Aro. Steam or diesel hauled (Site in Catalan)
Metros, trams and urban funiculars
- Madrid
- Alicante
local railway and tram-trains
- Barcelona
- Metro and the
Montjuïc funicular
- Trams
(Site in Spanish)
- Bilbao
- Cádiz proposed tram - trains (Site in
Spanish)
- Donostia -
San Sebastián Monte Igueldo funicular (Graphic intensive
site, slow to load)
- Granada
trams (Site in Spanish)
- Jaen trams. Service suspended shortly after
introduction in May 2011 and remains closed (No website located
at present)
- Málaga light
rail metro (Site in Spanish)
- Murcia
trams (Site in Spanish)
- Parla trams
(Site in Spanish)
- Sevilla
- Valencia
local railways and trams
- Vélez-Málaga trams. Service suspended from
June 2012 until further notice (No website located at present)
- Vitoria - Gasteiz trams
- Zaragoza
- Trams
(Site in Spanish)
- Monorail serving the Plaza Imperial commercial
centre (No website located at present)
See also:
- Railway station names in Basque
There are no railways in the Spanish coastal enclaves and
offshore islands of North Africa.