Via Verde de la Val de Zafán

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The railway cycle path ( Spanish : Vía Verde = Green Path) Vía Verde de la Val de Zafán ( Aragon ) runs with a length of about 46 km on the route of a former railway line from Alcañiz to Arnes / Lledó.

History and structure

The Vía Verde de la Val de Zafán follows a historic railway line project. The railway line should lead from La Puebla de Híjar via Tortosa to Sant Carles de la Ràpita on the southern edge of the Ebro Delta . Construction began in 1882, but the last section was never completed. The entire railway line was shut down in 1973.

The upgrade to a cycle path as a connection to Via Verde de la Terra Alta in Arnes / Lledó was completed in early 2008. The expansion now extends to Valjunquera , around 17 km before Alcañiz. This means that there is a continuous cycle path from Tortosa to almost Alcañiz away from the main roads, which leads the cyclist through the mountainous and sparsely populated landscape between Catalonia and Aragon without major inclines . The last section, including the Valdealgorfa tunnel, is accessible by bike as a dirt road and without signs and is also to be expanded as a bike path. The route leads through 7 tunnels, several bridges and over 2 large viaducts - over the Río Matarraña , a tributary of the Ebro and the Rio Algars (Algás) on the border between Catalonia and Aragon.

Valdealgorfa train station (Vía Verde de la Val de Zafán)
The Valdealgorfa Tunnel (Vía Verde de la Val de Zafán)

The expanded part of the cycle path (around 29 km) is paved and signposted throughout, the surface of the last section of the route to Alcañiz (around 17 km) consists of gravel and solidified earth.

The highlight of the route was the Túnel de Valdealgorfa , which was once the longest cycle path tunnel in Europe. Now the tunnel is closed. The structure is 2,136 m long, bolt upright and not illuminated. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, the tunnel offers a magnificent spectacle when the sun, which is exactly in the tunnel entrance, completely illuminates the tunnel.

Also worth seeing are the abandoned former train stations, some of which were built in the so-called Mudéjar style. The former stops are:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ according to Bahnrassenradeln.de (accessed on April 11, 2013)

Web links