Narrow-gauge railways in Spain

In Spain there is an extensive 1,250 km (780 mi) system of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge railways. The majority of these railways was historically operated by FEVE, (Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha, Spanish narrow-gauge railways). Created in 1965 FEVE started absorbing numerous private-owned narrow-gauge railways. From 1978 onwards, with the introduction of regionalisation devolution under the new Spanish constitution, FEVE began transferring responsibility for a number of its operations to the new regional governments. On 31 December 2012 the company disappeared due to the merger of the narrow-gauge network FEVE and the broad-gauge network RENFE.

In 2023 transport officials in RENFE in Spain resigned when it was found that narrow-gauge passenger rolling-stock ordered in 2020 for the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria would be too wide for the tunnels and were to be redesigned with delays of a year or two in delivery.

Northern Spain

In the north of the country, operated by RENFE and EuskoTren (Eusko Trenbideak, Basque Railways). At the centre of this system is a metre-gauge line which runs for 650 km (404 mi) along the entire length of Spain's north coast.

EuskoTren is the Basque regional government rail company. This company also owns several bus lines.

The Euskotren Tranbia in Bilbao is a tramway line.

Metro Bilbao started in 1995 on EuskoTren track and has a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge. The Renfe metre-gauge network in Northern Spain and EuskoTren form the longest narrow-gauge network in Europe.

Andalusia

• FC Granada a Sierra Nevada; 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, 21.7 km (13.5 mi), 1925-1974

Castile–La Mancha

• FC Valdepenas a Puertollano; 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, 78 km (48 mi), 1924-1963

Catalonia

Barcelona

• FGC (Catalan regional government railways), Metro del Baix Llobregat, Llobregat–Anoia line
• Funicular de Vallvidrera
• Funicular del Tibidabo

Gelida

• Funicular de Gelida

Girona

• FC de Flassa a Palamos, Gerona y Banolas; 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, 63 km (39 mi), 1892-1969
• FC de San Feliu de Guixois a Gerona; 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, 42 km (26 mi), 1887-1956

Montserrat

• Funicular de Sant Joan
• Funicular de la Santa Cova at Montserrat
• Cremallera de Montserrat, a rack railway.

Northern Catalonia

• Cremallera de Núria, a rack railway.
• Ferrocarril Turístic de l'Alt Llobregat, a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge tourist line.

Valencian community

• FGV (Valencian regional government railways) around the city of Valencia, as well as along the Costa Blanca from Alicante to Denia

Castellón

• FC de Onda al Grao de Castellon y Villareal-Puerto de Burriana; 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) gauge, 43 km (27 mi), 1888-1963

Madrid

• Ferrocaril Électrico del Guadarrama near Madrid, in the Sierra del Guadarrama, runs a metre gauge electric line through a short but extremely sinuous track from Cercedilla to Los Cotos. This is the only narrow gauge railway operated by RENFE rather than FEVE.

Majorca

• SFM (Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca); 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
• FS (Ferrocarril de Sóller) operates a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge electrified railway and connecting tramway, the Tranvía de Sóller.
• Palma Metro; 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)

Murcia

• Renfe operates the 19.6 km (12.2 mi) Cartagena-Los Nietos Line; 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge

See also

• History of rail transport in Spain
• Rail transport in Spain

References

External links

Media related to Narrow gauge railways in Spain at Wikimedia Commons