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Barcelona Metro

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Barcelona Metro
Overview
Native nameMetro de Barcelona
OwnerTMB, FGC
LocaleBarcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines12 lines (Total)
Number of stations180 (Total)
  • 156 TMB stations
  • 24 FGC stations
Annual ridership426,500,000 (2015)[1]
Website
Operation
Began operation1863 / 1924 / 1926
Operator(s)TMB & FGC
Technical
System length144.3 km (89.7 mi) (Total)
  • 123.2 km (76.6 mi) TMB
  • 21.1 km (13.1 mi) FGC
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) for
1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) for
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) for others
System map
Unofficial map - network as of January 2016
Can Peixauet.
Plaça de Catalunya station (L1)
Universitat station (L1)
Gavarra station (L5)
Ticket vending machines, Sants Estació station.

The Barcelona Metro (Catalan and Spanish: Metro de Barcelona)[a] is an unofficial brand name for an extensive 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 2014, 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 2016. They are due to be completed in the near future.[when?].[2] Three lines on the network have opened as automatic train operation/driverless vehicle systems since 2009: Line 11, Line 9 and Line 10, in chronological order.

History

The first rapid transit railway service in Barcelona was founded in 1863 by the private company Ferrocarril de Sarrià a Barcelona ("Railway from Sarrià to Barcelona", after 1916 Sarrià joined the municipality of Barcelona). Later this line evolved in what now is basically the current L6 metro service. This railway system, now part of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya company, was later inspired by the London Underground naming style having long names for the lines ("Sarrià line", "Balmes line"...).

Much later, in the 1920s, a second and a third rapid transit railway systems were founded with the construction of the Gran Metro between Lesseps and the Plaça de Catalunya (part of the modern L3) and, two years later, the Metro Transversal (now part of L1). This third one was built between the Plaça de Catalunya and la Bordeta to link the city centre with the Plaça d'Espanya and Montjuïc, the site of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. These two later rapid transit companies contrasted with the first one in being inspired by the Métropolitain de Paris (from where the word "metro" comes).

Today the network consists of 12 lines managed by 2 different operators: Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC, or Catalan Government Railways). Fares and nomenclature are controlled by the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, a citywide system that also includes local and regional buses, tramways and some commuter and regional train services.

Lines

The major network, operated by TMB, consists of eight lines, numbered L1 to L5 and L9 to L11 (which are distinguished on network maps by different colours), covering 102.6 kilometres (63.8 mi) of route and 141 stations.[3]

FGC lines are numbered L6, L7, L8 and L12. These lines, except all L12 and part of L7, share tracks with commuter rail lines.

The Barcelona Metro lines do not have a name of their own but are generally referred to by their colour or by the number and the names of their termini.

The lines run as follows:

Line Number Termini Operator Current Length Approved Length Current Stations Approved Stations Year of Opening
Barcelona Metro line 1
 Hospital de Bellvitge–Fondo TMB 20.700 km 29.758 km 30 38 1926
Barcelona Metro line 2
 Paral·lel–Badalona Pompeu Fabra TMB 13.700 km 18.466 km 18 34 1995
Barcelona Metro line 3
 Zona Universitària–Trinitat Nova TMB 18.400 km 20.024 km 26 36 1924
Barcelona Metro line 4
 Trinitat Nova–La Pau TMB 17.300 km 18.916 km 22 26 1973 (1926)
Barcelona Metro line 5
 Cornellà Centre–Vall d'Hebron TMB 19.168 km 19.168 km 26 27 1959
Barcelona Metro line 6
 Pl. Catalunya–Sarrià FGC 4.884 km 8 (2[b] shared with L7) 1929 (1863)
Barcelona Metro line 7
 Pl. Catalunya–Av. Tibidabo FGC 4.634 km 4.634 km 7 (2[c] shared with L6) 7 1953 (1863)
Barcelona Metro line 8
 Pl. Espanya–Molí Nou-Ciutat Cooperativa FGC 11.266 km 11.266 km 11 21 2000 (1912)
Barcelona Metro line 9
Aeroport T1–Zona Universitària
TMB
19.600 km
47.800 km
15
39
2009
La Sagrera–Can Zam 7.867 km 9 (3 shared with L10)
Barcelona Metro line 10
 La Sagrera–Gorg TMB 5.570 km 47.800 km 6 (3 shared with L9) 33 2010
Barcelona Metro line 11
 Trinitat Nova–Can Cuiàs TMB 2.109 km 5 2003
Barcelona Metro line 12
 Sarrià–Reina Elisenda FGC 0.600 km 3.200 km 2 5 2016 (1976)

In addition to those, Renfe and FGC trains and the increasingly important Trambaix and Trambesòs routes and stations are displayed on most recent maps, including the info maps in the metro stations, all in a single variety of dark green.

L9 and L10

Details of the capacity of trains.

Construction work is taking place currently on L9/L10, which will run from Badalona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet to the Zona Franca district and El Prat International Airport. The lines, which share a central section between Bon Pastor and Torrassa (L1), will be the longest automated metro line in Europe, at 47.8 kilometres (29.7 mi), and will have 52 stations. The project was approved in 2000[4] but has been challenged by some technical difficulties and some of their sections are pending further geological analysis. The first section of Line 9 that runs between La Sagrera and Can Zam opened in 2009, and by June 2010 eleven new stations on the new Lines L9 and L10 had opened. As of February 2016, the 15-station, 19.6-kilometre (12.2 mi) south section of Line L9 between Zona Universitària and the airport opened.[5]

Rolling stock

  • TMB rolling stock
  • Series 500
    Series 500
  • Series 2000
    Series 2000
  • Series 2100
    Series 2100
  • Series 3000
    Series 3000
  • Series 4000
    Series 4000
  • Series 5000
    Series 5000
  • Series 6000
    Series 6000
  • Series 9000
    Series 9000
  • FGC rolling stock
  • Series 112
    Series 112
  • Series 113 (4 cars) and 114 (3 cars)
    Series 113 (4 cars) and 114 (3 cars)
  • Series 213
    Series 213

Cards and pricing

In addition to the one-way ticket (€2.15 as of February 2016[6]) there are a number of other tickets and cards. All of the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) transport cards are valid and can be used in the Barcelona Metro. These are:

  • Airport Ticket, is a one-way ticket for the airport stations, only required if you travel with a one-way ticket or a T10
  • T10, which includes ten rides at a discounted price
  • T Dia, unlimited trips within a day
  • T50/30, 50 journeys made in 30 consecutive days from the first use
  • T Familiar (70/30), 70 journeys made in 30 consecutive days from the first use
  • T Mes, unlimited journeys made in 30 consecutive days from the first use
  • T Trimestre, unlimited journeys made in 90 consecutive days from the first use
  • T Jove, young ticket (less than 25 years old) for unlimited journeys made in 90 consecutive days from the first use

All of the metro stations are within fare zone 1. Fares can be found on this page.

Stations

TMB (top) and FGC (bottom) logos outside Plaça de Catalunya station.
Elevators in Llefià station.
Llefià
Main article: List of Barcelona metro stations

As of mid 2016, there are currently 180 operational stations in the Barcelona Metro, served by the 12 lines in current use, which will increase to 209 when lines L9 and L10 are finally completed. The average distance between stations is 650 metres.

An overwhelming majority of stations in the network lack related buildings or structures aboveground, mostly consisting of an access with stairs, escalators or elevators. The official TMB metro indicator, a red rhombus with a M inside, remains unused by FGC lines, which use their company logo and a different rhombus-shaped logo (actually rather similar to the one used inside the Madrid Metro) inside stations. Below ground their decoration is remarkably sober, with the exception of a few stations.

Disused stations

Main article: Disused Barcelona metro stations

A number of stations in the network have been closed, were never inaugurated, or have been moved to a nearby location. See the main article for more details.

Accessibility

Accessibility for wheelchairs and for parents with pushchairs is being improved but the metro system is not yet fully accessible. A project of improvements is gradually adding more lifts from street level to ticket office level and then from ticket office level to the platforms, though some stations remain without access. 17 of 180 are not fully accessible as 2016. See Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona for more information on which stations are currently accessible.

Transportation in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

The Barcelona Metro is part of a larger transportation network, regulated and fare-integrated by Autoritat del Transport Metropolità.

Among these services, there are two large systems which operate both inside and outside the city limits of Barcelona: the commuter train lines operated by Renfe, amalgamated in the Rodalies Barcelona, or Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya lines which start in the metro lines the company operates (L6, L7 and L8) and which become a fully-fledged railway system which serves most of the metropolitan area: list of FGC lines. FGC is developing Sabadell Metro and Terrassa Metro as extensions of its network in the large cities of Sabadell and Terrassa respectively.

See also

Barcelona Metro topics

Rapid transit in Barcelona

Other metro systems in Spain

Notes

  1. ^ Local pronunciation:
  2. ^ In Plaça Catalunya and Provença stations share the same tracks, but in Gràcia not
  3. ^ In Plaça Catalunya and Provença stations share the same tracks, but in Gràcia not

References

  1. ^ "Metropolitan Transport Authority - ATM". ATM.cat. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  2. ^ http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/metrobcn.pdf
  3. ^ "Transport in figures - Basic transport data". TMB. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2014. — length of TMB lines.
  4. ^ http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/Linia9.pdf
  5. ^ "Driverless metro reaches Barcelona airport". Railway Gazette International. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Integrated Fare System - Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona". tmb.cat.
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