Rail transport in Mallorca

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SFM multiple unit in the Son Cladera suburb of Palma
Railcar 2 of the FS in Sóller

The rail traffic in Mallorca today comprises a route network with a length of around 118 kilometers. This is operated by two railway companies, the state-owned Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM) and the private Ferrocarril de Sóller (FS).

stretch

It is about

  • the route Palma – Sóller with the subsequent tram from Sóller to Port de Sóller, operated by the FS
  • the Palma – Inca line with the two continuations Inca – Sa Pobla and Inca – Manacor, operated by SFM.
  • an 8.5 km long subway between the city center of Palma and the university campus , also operated by SFM.

history

Railway lines in Mallorca
FEVE diesel multiple unit in Inca, 1990
Diesel multiple unit series 61 of the SFM in Inca

The first railway was planned by the Mallorcan engineer Eusebi Estada i Sureda (1843-1917) and opened on February 24, 1875. The Ferrocarriles de Mallorca (FM) line, laid out in a gauge of 914 mm (three English feet ), led from Palma to Inca . Until 1927 the railway line was extended in two branches via Manacor to Artà and via Muro to Sa Pobla . In addition, a branch line from Santa Maria to Felanitx was built. Another route connected Palma with Santanyí . In 1931 the busy Palma – Inca section was expanded to two tracks.

The private Ferrocarril de Alaró opened the Consell – Alaró line in 1881. The also private Ferrocarril de Sóller was founded on November 5th, 1905. They built the route Palma - Sóller with a track width of 914 mm, which crosses the Tramuntana Mountains with several tunnels. Siemens-Schuckert electrified the line as early as 1927 to reduce smoke pollution in the tunnels.

The private route Consell – Alaró was first shut down in 1941. The lines of the FM went to the 1965 formed, Spanish state narrow-gauge railway company FEVE . The new operator procured diesel railcars and standardized the gauge on meter gauge . The Ferrocarril de Sóller, which was not taken over by the FEVE, remained exempt and kept its track gauge. This meant that the wagon transfer, which was only rarely practiced before, was no longer possible. Further closures followed in 1964 and 1977, so that only the Palma – Sóller and Palma – Inca lines were still in operation. However, the closed sections of the route were not dismantled. In 1994, SFM was founded, took over the FEVE route from Palma to Inca and began a modernization program. The disused routes to Sa Pobla (2001) and Manacor (2003) were rebuilt. In the years 2005 to 2007, a new central station was built in Palma. The track systems were laid under the surface of the earth. The Metro de Palma opened on April 25, 2007. The track with a gauge of 1000 mm connects the city center with the site of the University of the Balearic Islands . Since then, the route towards Inca has run to the motorway ring in a joint tunnel structure with the metro line. While the metro is operated electrically from the start, the tunnel section of the Palma – Inca line was only prepared for electrification with overhead conductor rails during construction .

In March 2010, work began to rebuild the section from Manacor to Artà; this should be created as a so-called Tren tram with low-floor entrances. In spring 2011, six three-part Vossloh Citylink light rail vehicles were delivered for the planned commissioning . Due to unclear financing, a construction freeze for the new line was imposed at the end of July 2011. Existing construction measures (halls, routes, underpasses, traffic diversions) lie fallow. In April 2013, the incumbent regional government announced that the line to Arta would no longer be expanded. The route has been used as a tourist bike path (Via Verde) since 2014.

The Palma – Inca – Enllaç section was electrified with 1500 V DC; the line went into operation on February 16, 2012. In Enllaç the branches to Sa Pobla and Manacor separate. The rest of the SFM rail network on Mallorca has been fully electrified since 2019. On January 8, 2019, Balearic Prime Minister Francina Armengol inaugurated the last 32-kilometer section between Enllaç station and Manacor. This means that all routes on the island are operated electrically.

Route network

The route network of the Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca today has a length of around 77 kilometers. Until the start of the line closures, the length was around 236 kilometers. The Palma – Inca section has been two-pronged since 1931 .

Route overview

  • Palma – Santa Maria – Consell – Inca
  • Inca – Enllaç – Muro – Sa Pobla
  • Inca – Enllaç – Sineu – Manacor –Artá
  • Santa Maria-Felanitx
  • Consell – Alaró (private railway)
  • Palma – Llucmajor – Campos – Santanyí
  • Palma – Sóller – Port de Sóller (private railway)
  • Palma City – Palma University (Metro)

( routes highlighted in bold are in operation)

Opening and closing dates

(of the state routes)

Route section Length
(km)		 opened set Remarks
Palma – Inca 28.60 1875 - in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Palma harbor 2.90 1877 1931
Inca – Sinéu 13.84 1878 1977 Completely refurbished in 2002 - back in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Inca – Sa Pobla 13.10 1878 1981 Completely refurbished in 2001 - back in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Sinéu-Manacor 21.31 1879 1977 Completely refurbished in 2003 - back in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Consell-Alaró 3.72 1881 1941
Santa Maria-Felanitx 42.79 1897 1964
Palma – Llucmajor 30.72 1916 1964 Hiring in the course of the airport construction in Palma

Reactivation planned

Llucmajor – Santanyí 17.50 1917 1964 Hiring in the course of the airport construction in Palma

Reactivation planned

Manacor – Artà 30.35 1921 1977 Route should be operated again. For financial reasons this was discarded shortly before the construction work was completed (spring / summer 2013)
Inca – Palma (2nd track) 28.60 1931 - in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Palma harbor (city tunnel) 2.13 1931 1964
Plaça d'Espanya - Universitat des Illes Balears (Palma Metro) 8.5 2007 - in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Inca – Enllaç (second track) ? 2009 - in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca
Palma – Inca (electrification) 28.60 2012 - in operation by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca

The route of the Ferrocarril de Sóller leads to the north coast. She has to conquer the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana . 13 tunnels, including a spiral tunnel , and a 52-meter-long viaduct Cinc Ponts had to be built on the 27-kilometer stretch .

The subway in Son Costa-Son Fortesa has a connection to the route network of the Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca.

Organization of traffic

The supervision of traffic in the Balearic Islands is subordinate to the Govern de les Illes Balears , more precisely the Ministry of Transport and Construction. The Transport de Illes Balears (TIB), as the central company, coordinates bus, rail, air and ship traffic.

Planning

An extension of the route from Sa Pobla to Alcúdia is occasionally discussed. This would connect the two largest Mallorcan ports by rail.

See also

literature

  • J. Pere Brunet Estarelles: La Companyia dels Ferrocarrils de Mallorca . Institut D'Estudis Baleárics, 1994, ISBN 84-87026-34-6 (Catalan).
  • Nicolau S. Cañellas Serrano: El Ferrocarril a Mallorca. La via del progrés . Edicions Documenta Balear, Palma de Mallorca 2001, ISBN 84-95694-17-4 (Catalan).
  • Ekkehard Schönherr: Modern Mallorca. From the "island with industry" to the "tourist paradise" . Logos-Verlag, Berlin 2019, ISBN 978-3-8325-4989-3 .
  • Klaus-Jürgen Vetter, Sarah Wolff: Discover Mallorca by train . Bruckmann-Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-7654-7180-1 .
  • Klaus-Jürgen Vetter, Wolfgang Heitzmann, Sarah Wolff: Railway paradise Mallorca . GeraMond, 2004, ISBN 3-7654-7254-9 .

Web links

Commons : Rail transport in Mallorca  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Spanish Railway »Blog Archive» Ferrocarril de Alaró (Consell-Alaró). Retrieved September 6, 2019 (Spanish).
  2. ↑ Railway expansion on Mallorca . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 6 , 2010, p. 297 .
  3. ^ Vía verde Manacor - Artà . ( Online [accessed May 28, 2015]).
  4. ^ Eisenbahn-magazin 4/2012, p. 23.
  5. ^ Untitled Document. Retrieved September 6, 2019 .
  6. ^ Untitled Document. Retrieved September 6, 2019 .
  7. ↑ mallorcazeitung.es
  8. ↑ El trazado norte de la línea ferroviaria sa Pobla-Alcudia, el más viable técnicamente. February 12, 2009, Retrieved September 6, 2019 (Spanish).