Railway line Barcelona – Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg

Barcelona – Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg
The Pullman Cerdanya entering the Puigcerdá station, 1992
Route number :	222
Gauge :	1668 mm ( Iberian track )
Power system :	3000  =
Top speed:	115 km / h
Train control :	ASFA
Legend from El Clot-Aragó , from Barcelona-Sants Sant Andreu Arenal Start of line to Maçanet-Massanes Sant Andreu Comtal Torre Baró Les Aigües junction Moncada-Bifurcació to Cerbère to Tarragona Montcada Ripollet Santa Perpètua de Mogoda Castellbisbal / El Papiol – Mollet railway line Mollet - Santa Rosa Parets del Vallès Granollers - Canovelles Les Franqueses del Vallès Llerona La Garriga Figaró San Martí de Centellas Centelles Balenyà - els Hostalets Balenyà Tona Seva Taradell - Mont-rodon Vic Manlleu Torelló Borgonyà Sant Quirze de Besora Line end La Farga de Bebié Ripoll former route to Sant Joan de les Abadesses Campdevàno Aigües de Ribes Ribes de Freser transition to Cremallera de Núria Planolas Toses La Molina Urtx-Alp Queixans Puigcerdà State border Spain - France Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg transition to Ligne de Cerdagne to Portet-sur-Garonne

The Barcelona – Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg railway connects the Catalan capital of Barcelona in Spain with the French border station Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg . Between the two terminus stations, a route length of almost 150 kilometers, a difference in altitude of more than 1200 meters is overcome.

History and description

Opening date	Route section
July 22, 1854	Barcelona - Granollers
March 12, 1876	Granollers - Vic
0August 1, 1879	Vic – Sant Feliu de Torelló
October 20, 1879	Sant Feliu de Torelló – Sant Quirze de Besora
June 20, 1880	Sant Quirze de Besora - Ripoll
0October 4, 1922	Ripoll– Puigcerdà
0June 5, 1928	Puigcerdà - Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg

The nucleus of the line was an industrial railway for the removal of coal from the mines of San Juan de las Abadesas , located on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees , to Barcelona. In 1876 the section between Granollers and Vic , in 1880 the continuation to San Juan de las Abadesas was put into operation. At Granollers, the line left today's route and led to the Barcelona – Cerbère line . Since the latter belonged to another operator and user fees had to be paid, the company Ferrocarril y minas de San Juan de las Abadesas built a branch from Les Franqueses del Vallès to the district of San Martín de Provensals ( Catalan : Sant Martí de Provençals) in Barcelona.

From the town of Ripoll, near the end point of San Juan de las Abadesas, a branch to Ribes de Freser was built in 1919 , which was extended to the border town of Puigcerdà at the end of 1922 and to the French border station Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg in 1928. This section of the route was less used for coal transport than primarily for cross-border passenger and freight traffic . In 1929, from France, a parallel gauge track reached the Puigcerdà station , which crossed the Spanish broad gauge track at its northern end . There were extensive goods handling facilities in both border stations . The traffic on the French track has meanwhile been stopped.

The operation between Ripoll and San Juan de las Abadesas was given up in 1980. Trains of the Línea R3 of the Barcelona regional network are currently running from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat via Barcelona-Sants to Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg. The single-track line is electrified with a DC voltage of 3000 volts using a contact wire .

gallery

• 

  Barcelona Sants train station

• 

  The route in Mollet del Vallès

• 

  Puigcerdà station with the RENFE regional train , 1998

• 

  Former transhipment hall broad gauge / standard gauge in Puigcerdà

• 

  Tracks of both gauges between Puigcerdà and Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg

• 

  French BB 8500 next to Spanish class 1000 and RENFE class 438 multiple units in Latour-de-Carol, 1985

Remarks

1. ↑ Common standard gauge (1435 mm), Iberian broad gauge (1668 mm) between Puigcerdà and Latour-de-Carol - Enveitg
2. ↑ today: Torelló
3. ↑ The standard gauge track from France to Spain was built in 1929

Web links

Commons : Barcelona-Puigcerdà railway line  - Collection of images

• Línea de Puigcerdà at ferropedia.es (Spanish)
• youtube.com - YouTube video of a train ride in February 2017

Individual evidence

1. ↑ CRONOLOGÍA BÁSICA DEL FERROCARRIL ESPAÑOL DE VÍA ANCHA. (PDF; 450 kB) http://www.docutren.com , accessed on May 1, 2017 (Spanish, chronicle of the line openings of the Spanish railways).