Urdaibai line

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Urdaibai line
The line in Sukarrieta.
Overview
StatusActive
OwnerEuskal Trenbide Sarea
LocaleBiscay, Basque Country, Spain
Termini
Stations13
History
Opened13 August 1888
Technical
Line length29.19 km (18.14 mi)[1]
Number of tracksSingle
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Minimum radius150 m (490 ft)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary
SignallingLZB
Route map

Legend
km
28.772
 Bermeo
Bermeo harbor
28.329
12th tunnel
28.200
11th tunnel
27.990
27.843
10th tunnel
27.610
9th tunnel
27.381
Lamiaran viaduct
26.243
 Mundaka
25.857
8th tunnel
25.754
Mundaka viaduct
25.615
7th tunnel
25.265
6th tunnel
24.993
5th tunnel
24.001
 Itsasbegi
22.722
 Axpe
21.342
 San Kristobal
21.223
Murueta viaduct
20.784
Astilleros
20.544
La Dinamita
19.865
Murueta
16.541
 Forua
15.141
 Institutoa
14.503
 Gernika
13.568
 Lurgorri
11.206
 Muxika
8.803
Usparitxa tunnel
8.013
Larrea tunnel
7.813
Oka III viaduct
7.305
Oka II viaduct
7.300
Oka
7.034
Oka I viaduct
6.598
 Zugastieta
3.700
Autzagane tunnel
2.301
1st tunnel
0.796
 Amorebieta Geralekua
0.427
Amorebieta viaduct
Bilbao–San Sebastián line
to Matiko
0.00
 Amorebieta
Bilbao–San Sebastián line
to Amara
This diagram:

The Urdaibai line (Basque: Urdaibaiko linea, Spanish: Línea de Urdaibai), also known as the Amorebieta–Bermeo railway (Basque: Amorebieta-Bermeo trenbidea, Spanish: Ferrocarril Amorebieta-Bermeo) is a 29.19 km (18.14 mi) mostly single-track branchline in Biscay, Basque Country. Owned by Euskal Trenbide Sarea, it runs from Bermeo to Amorebieta, connecting with the Bilbao-San Sebastián mainline.

History[edit]

Construction[edit]

The first narrow-gauge railway in Biscay, the Bilbao–Durango line, opened in 1882.[2] That year, the government commissioned Francisco Rispa Perpiñá [ca] with the writing of the project for a railway between Gernika and Amorebieta, where it would link with the existing line. Already in the planning stages, an extension from Gernika to Bermeo was being considered. After several delays, the project was transferred to Luis de Landecho [es], who in 1885 received government approval for the construction of the railway. Works started that same year under the supervision of engineer Pablo de Alzola [es].[3]

Three years later, the line opened to the public on 13 August 1888.[4] On 15 March 1893, the line was extended to Pedernales (in Basque: Sukarrieta), only six months after the authorization for the construction was issued. This makes it likely that works on the extension had begun earlier, without government approval.[5]

Since 1895, the extension to Bermeo had been under study. However, due to the rugged terrain, its construction was delayed. As a substitute, a horsecar linking Bermeo and Pedernales opened in 1896. This, coupled with the attempts made by the Lutxana–Mungia railway of reaching Bermeo, made the Amorebieta–Guernica–Pedernales railway abandon its plans for an extension.[6]

Extension to Bermeo[edit]

Despite numerous proposals, the Mungia–Bermeo railway project ultimately didn't materialize due to the high costs involved. Ferrocarriles Vascongados tried to buy the Amorebieta–Pedernales railway, but didn't due to disagreements regarding the conditions of the purchase. After the failed takeover, relations between both companies worsened, and Ferrocarriles Vascongados actively pushed for the bankruptcy of the Amorebieta–Pedernales railway, by running direct buses to Bilbao. By the time this happened in 1932, Ferrocarriles Vascongados lacked the financial resources needed for the management of the railway.[7] Thus, the line was taken over by the government, which managed it under the company Explotación de Ferrocarriles por el Estado [es].

After the civil war, the extension to Bermeo was considered again. On 27 March 1944, the Ministry of Public Works gave its approval to the project. Works started on 24 August that same year.[8] The construction advanced slowly due to technical difficulties and lack of funds.[9] The works were done by forced labor.[10] From 1945 to 1953 most of the workers were political prisoners, but from that year common prisoners constituted the majority of the workforce.[11]

The extension to Bermeo was finally inaugurated on 16 August 1955 by dictator Francisco Franco.[12]

FEVE and Euskotren[edit]

In 1965, the railway was taken over by the new state-owned company FEVE.[13] To improve its competitiveness, the company decided to electrify the line. Together with this, a new halt in Amorebieta and a direct connection towards Bilbao were built. This allowed for trains to run directly from Bilbao to Bermeo. The electrification entered service on 29 May 1973.[14] The trains used to operate the line after the electrification were electric railcars that had belonged to the defunct Vasco-Navarro railway [es]. In 1982 the newly created Basque Railways (known since 1996 as Euskotren) took over the line. During this time, modern 3500 series multiple units were introduced.[15]

Starting in 1986, the line was renovated. This included the substitution of the wooden ties by concrete ones, and the construction of Lurgorri station to better serve Gernika.[16] In 1996, 200 series trains entered service on the line.[17] From 1997 to 1998 a freight service was operated jointly with FEVE from Bermeo to Lutxana, but had to be suspended due to increased passenger traffic.[18] Starting in 2022, the Lamiaran viaduct (between Mundaka and Bermeo) will be renovated due to erosion.[19]

Service[edit]

E4 line
Overview
Service typeCommuter/regional rail
Current operator(s)Euskotren
Ridership994,095 (2018)[20]
Route
TerminiMatiko
Bermeo
Service frequency
  • 2 per hour (weekdays)
  • 1 per hour (weekends)
Line(s) used
Technical
Rolling stockEuskotren 900, 950 series

The only service operating on the Urdaibai line is Euskotren Trena line E4. Operated by Euskotren, it provides a twice hourly service from Bermeo to Bilbao. The service frequency is hourly on weekends. Some of the services in the early morning/late evening only run to or from Gernika.[21] On weekdays there's also a semi-direct train from Gernika to Bilbao that skips most of the stops.[22]

From Bermeo to Amorebieta, trains use the Urdaibai line. There, they join the Bilbao–San Sebastián mainline until Kukullaga. Until 2019, the terminus in Bilbao was the historic Atxuri station. That year, trains on the E4 line started running through line 3 of the Bilbao metro, with the new terminus becoming Matiko.[23]

Station list[edit]

The following table shows regular service patterns. The first trains in the morning and the last in the evening make shorter trips.

Trains stop at stations marked with "●" and don't stop at those marked with "｜":

Station Stops Location
Daytime Semi-direct Night
Matiko ● ●   Bilbao
Uribarri ● ●  
Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo ● ●  
Zurbaranbarri ● ●  
Txurdinaga ● ●  
Otxarkoaga ● ●  
Kukullaga ● ●   Etxebarri
Etxebarri ● ｜  
Ariz ● ｜   Basauri
Zuhatzu ● ｜   Galdakao
Usansolo ● ｜  
Bedia ● ｜   Bedia
Lemoa ● ｜   Lemoa
Amorebieta ｜ ｜ ● Amorebieta-Etxano
Amorebieta Geralekua ● ● ｜
Zugastieta ● ｜ ● Muxika
Muxika ● ｜ ●
Lurgorri ● ● ｜ Gernika-Lumo
Gernika ● ● ●
Institutoa ●   ｜
Forua ●   ● Forua
San Kristobal ●   ● Busturia
Axpe ●   ●
Itsasbegi ●   ●
Mundaka ●   ● Mundaka
Bermeo ●   ● Bermeo

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ "Nuestra red". Euskal Trenbide Sarea (in Spanish). 7 April 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. ^ Olaizola, p. 7.
  3. ^ Olaizola, p. 9.
  4. ^ Olaizola, p. 23.
  5. ^ Olaizola, p. 32.
  6. ^ Olaizola, p. 37.
  7. ^ Olaizola, p. 49.
  8. ^ Olaizola, p. 51.
  9. ^ Olaizola, p. 53.
  10. ^ "Cerca de 2.200 personas visitan la exposición sobre las víctimas de trabajos forzados en Bermeo (Bizkaia)". Europa Press (in Spanish). 12 April 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  11. ^ Olaizola, p. 61.
  12. ^ Olaizola, p. 73.
  13. ^ Olaizola, p. 115.
  14. ^ Olaizola, p. 121.
  15. ^ Olaizola, p. 125.
  16. ^ Olaizola, p. 127.
  17. ^ Olaizola, p. 128.
  18. ^ Olaizola, pp. 129–130.
  19. ^ de las Heras, Gonzalo; García, Josu (21 February 2022). "El puente de Bermeo que desafía al cambio climático". El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  20. ^ Atxutegi, Aitziber (3 October 2019). "ETS desdoblará el tren a Bermeo para aumentar sus frecuencias". Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  21. ^ "E4 Matiko-Bilbao - Bermeo" (PDF). Euskotren (in Spanish and Basque). Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  22. ^ "El horario de invierno de las líneas de tren y metro de Euskotren entra en vigor este lunes". Europa Press (in Spanish). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Desde hoy, los trenes de Bermeo de Euskotren llegan al centro de Bilbao". Vía Libre (in Spanish). 9 September 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2022.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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