Rodalies de Catalunya

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Rodalies de Catalunya
Rodalies de Catalunya logo
Civia RdC en Barcelona-Sants.jpg
A Renfe Operadora Civia train in Rodalies de Catalunya livery making a service on Barcelona commuter rail service line R7 at Barcelona Sants railway station in 2011.
Overview
Owner Generalitat of Catalonia
Area served Catalonia
Transit type Commuter rail, regional rail
Number of lines 17
Number of stations 203
Annual ridership 114.356 million (2013)[1][lower-alpha 1]
Chief executive Félix Martín[2]
Website www.rodaliesdecatalunya.cat
Operation
Began operation 1 January 2010 (2010-01-01)
Operator(s) Renfe Operadora
Host railroads Adif
Technical
Track gauge 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 2132 in) Iberian gauge
Electrification 3,000 V DC overhead lines

Rodalies de Catalunya (Catalan pronunciation: [ruðəˈɫi.əz ðə kətəˈɫuɲə]; "Commuter Rail of Catalonia") is the main commuter and regional rail system in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. It is administered by the Catalan government and operated by the national rail operator Renfe Operadora.[3] Currently, the system consists of 17 service lines chiefly centered in the Barcelona area, serving a total of 203 stations throughout Catalonia.

Most part of the system is the precursor of several commuter and regional lines within Catalonia which were formerly under the administration of the Spanish government. On 1 January 2010 (2010-01-01), as a result of the transfer of the administration of the Cercanías commuter rail system for Barcelona, known as Rodalies Barcelona, the system was renamed "Rodalies de Catalunya".[4] One year later, on 1 January 2011 (2011-01-01), Renfe Operadora's regional services within Catalonia were included in the system after their administration had also been transferred.[5] In 2014, two new commuter rail services in Camp de Tarragona and the Girona area were created as part of the system on 20 and 24 March, respectively.[6][7]

The Rodalies de Catalunya system, specially its Barcelona commuter rail service, has been criticized for its high number of incidents, normally resulting in delays, though some minor accidents involving injuries have also occurred.[8][9] The Catalan government has pointed out as their main cause poor investment in the system's infrastructure,[10] which is owned by Adif, a public agency of the Spanish government in charge of conventional (non-high-speed) rail infrastructure in the country.[11][12]

Current system

Barcelona commuter rail service

Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service consists of eight lines serving a large part of Barcelona metropolitan area which, in some cases, even extend out of its limits. Regardless of the VicLatour-de-Carol portion, it runs on 467 kilometres (290 mi) of railway lines and has 109 stations spread all over 77 municipalities, where about 4.7 million people live. It is calculated that the service is daily used by approximately 350,000 travelers and,[10] according to 2013 figures, its annual ridership is 105.089 million.[1]

All lines (excepting line R8) are centred in the city of Barcelona, where they run on two underground trunk routes. Lines R1, R3, R4 and a short stretch of line R7 use the Meridiana Tunnel, comprising Plaça de Catalunya, Arc de Triomf, La Sagrera-Meridiana and Sant Andreu Arenal stations. Contrarily, lines R2, R2 Nord and, partially, R2 Sud use the Aragó Tunnel, comprising Passeig de Gràcia and El Clot-Aragó stations. Both trunk routes converge at Barcelona Sants railway station, the service's main station.[13]

The current system is the precursor of former Renfe Operadora's Cercanías commuter rail system for Barcelona known as Rodalies Barcelona, and it has kept most of its features. Nevertheless, while all the other Cercanías systems around Spain use letter 'C' (from the Spanish word cercanías) plus a number for identifying their lines, Barcelona's commuter rail system uses letter 'R' instead (from its Catalan equivalent rodalies). As for the numbering, since Rodalies de Catalunya shares market with Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) on the city's commuter rail, it can only use numbers from 1 to 10 leaving numbers 5 and 6 for FGC lines.[14]

Since 22 July 2006 (2006-07-22), a line named R10 has been running between Barcelona–El Prat Airport and Barcelona's Estació de França.[15] However, due to construction works near Barcelona Sant Andreu Comtal railway station, a "temporary" restructuring of lines R2 and R10 was implemented on 31 January 2009 (2009-01-31); the R10 was suspended and the R2 was divided into three different lines—R2, R2 Nord ("North") and R2 Sud ("South"). Although line R10 was scheduled to resume services in two years according to official sources,[16] as of 2014, it has not been reopened yet and no date has been announced for this to happen.

On 26 June 2011 (2011-06-26), a restructuring of the service affecting several lines was implemented. It mainly involved the creation of new line R8, the first line ever bypassing Barcelona, and the rerouting of line R7. Before the restructuring, former line R7 ran from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat to Martorell via the Meridiana Tunnel in Barcelona's city centre and Rubí. With the rerouting, it was shortened and started to run as a shuttle line between Cerdanyola Universitat and Barcelona Sant Andreu Arenal stations. New line R8 took over the former route of line R7 between Martorell and Cerdanyola Universitat, then continuing towards Granollers Centre. Thanks to the changes applied on lines R7 and R8, it was able to increase frequencies with a train every 6 minutes and 8 minutes during rush hour on lines R1 and R4, respectively.[17][18]

Typically, most trains call at all the stations on the line. Nevertheless, some trains on lines R2 Sud, R3 and R4 operate as express services and only call at certain stations. Furthermore, most trains on all lines, excepting lines R2, R7 and R8, operate partial services, being line R1 exclusively operated with partial services.

Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service after the 2011 restructuring. Other commuter and suburban railway lines in the Barcelona area (current and future) are also shown, including the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC)-operated Barcelona–Vallès and Llobregat–Anoia lines.
Suspended line
Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service lines (as of 24 March 2014)
Line Route and weekday frequencies No. of
stations
Length Avg. weekday ridership Annual ridership Schedule
R1 Molins de Rei – 30′ – L'Hospitalet de Llobregat – 6′/10′ – Mataró/Arenys de Mar – 10′/30′ – Calella – 15′/30′ – Blanes – 60′ – Maçanet-Massanes 31 95.1 km[19]
59.1 mi
102,214
(2008)[19]
39.6 million
(2008)[19]
[1]
R2 Castelldefels – ≈10′/30′ – Granollers Centre 14 133 km[20]
82.6 mi
125,948
(2008)[21][lower-alpha 2]
35.3 million
(2008)[21][lower-alpha 2]
[2]
R2 Nord Barcelona–El Prat Airport – 30′ – Sant Celoni/Maçanet-Massanes 21
R2 Sud Sant Vicenç de Calders – ≈15'/30' – Vilanova i la Geltrú – ≈10'/15' – Barcelona Estació de França 17
R3 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat – ≈20′/30′ – Granollers-Canovelles/La Garriga – ≈30′ – VicRipoll/Ribes de FreserPuigcerdà/Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg[lower-alpha 3] 35 161.4 km[23]
100.3 mi
22,841
(2008)[23]
6.6 million
(2008)[23]
[3]
R4 Sant Vicenç de Calders – 30′/60′ – Vilafranca del Penedès – 15′/30′ – Martorell/L'Hospitalet de Llobregat – ≈8′/15′ – Terrassa – ≈15′/30′ – Manresa 40 143 km[24]
89 mi
105,935
(2008)[24]
29.4 million
(2008)[24]
[4]
R7 (Martorell –)[lower-alpha 4] Barcelona Sant Andreu Arenal – 30′ – Cerdanyola Universitat 7 13.5 km[25]
8.4 mi
8,140
(2010)[25]
1.9 million
(2010)[25]
[5]
R8 Martorell – 60′ – Cerdanyola Universitat – 60′ – Granollers Centre 8 40 km[26]
25 mi
? ? [6]
R10[27] Barcelona–El Prat Airport – 30′ – Barcelona Estació de França 6 22 km
13.7 mi

Camp de Tarragona commuter rail service

On 20 March 2014 (2014-03-20), Rodalies de Catalunya began running a commuter rail service in Camp de Tarragona, a region in southern Catalonia mainly centered in the polycentric metropolitan area formed by the cities of Tarragona and Reus. At the time it started services, it was the first commuter rail service in Catalonia not centered in Barcelona. The Camp de Tarragona commuter rail service consists of two lines, which are identified by letters 'RT' (the latter referring to Tarragona) plus a number, serving a total of 13 stations. Both lines converge at Tarragona railway station and are served by stopping trains only. Currently, it does not run on weekends.

Line RT1 actually serves as a reinforcement for regional services between Tarragona and Reus with 9 additional trains in each direction, allowing a service pattern of approximately 30 minutes during rush hour and lower to one hour during off-peak time between the two cities, combining all lines.[28]

On the other hand, line RT2 provides a direct service between the Baix Penedès and the Costa Daurada areas. Before the creation of the line, the L'ArboçL'Hospitalet de l'Infant route was not possible without interchanging at Sant Vicenç de Calders railway station.[6] Although line RT2 initially ran only between L'Arboç and Cambrils, from 20 June 2014 (2014-06-20) on, some trains travel further west to L'Hospitalet de l'Infant stopping at Mont-roig del Camp.[29]

Camp de Tarragona commuter rail service since 20 June 2014 (2014-06-20), including other Rodalies de Catalunya lines that also serve the area.
Rodalies de Catalunya's Camp de Tarragona commuter rail service lines (as of 20 June 2014)
Line Route Avg. weekday
frequency
No. of
stations
Length Schedule
RT1 ReusTarragona 18 trains per day 3 18.1 km[30]
11.3 mi
[7]
RT2 L'Hospitalet de l'Infant – Tarragona – Sant Vicenç de CaldersL'Arboç 10 trains per day 11 69.1 km[31]
42.9 mi

Girona commuter rail service

The Girona commuter rail service started services on 24 March 2014 (2014-03-24), four days after the Camp de Tarragona commuter rail service did so, becoming the second commuter rail service in Catalonia not centered in Barcelona. It consists of a single 44-station line named RG1 (letter 'G' referring to Girona), which directly links the Alt Empordà, Gironès, Selva and Maresme areas. Before the RG1 started services, its route was only possible by interchanging at Maçanet-Massanes railway station. In addition, the RG1 has improved the service pattern at stations in the Girona area.

Line RG1 is actually an extension of some trains on Barcelona commuter rail service line R1 which formerly terminated at Maçanet-Massanes.[7] Due to this fact, line RG1's L'Hospitalet de LlobregatMataró section, despite not serving as a Girona-centered commuter rail line, but as a Barcelona-centered one, is included as part of the Girona commuter rail service.[32][33] At the beginning, the RG1 did not run on weekends and ran exclusively between L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Figueres. However, from 20 June 2014 (2014-06-20) on, some trains travel further north towards Portbou and new weekend services are available during the summer season.[29]

Girona commuter rail service since 20 June 2014 (2014-06-20), including other Rodalies de Catalunya lines that also serve the area.
Rodalies de Catalunya's Girona commuter rail service lines (as of 20 June 2014)
Line Route Avg. weekday
frequency
No. of
stations
Length Schedule
RG1 L'Hospitalet de LlobregatMataróFigueresPortbou 16 trains per day 40 181.2 km[34]
112.6 mi
[8]

Regional rail services

Rodalies de Catalunya's division for regional rail services consists of six lines centered in Barcelona that serve the whole of Catalonia and are sometimes extended towards the neighboring Spanish autonomous communities of Aragon and the Valencian Community as well as the French départment of Languedoc-Roussillon. Although Estació de França serves as the main terminus station in Barcelona for most regional lines, especially those traveling towards southern and western Catalonia, all of them converge at Barcelona Sants only, which serves as the center of the service.[35] The 2013 ridership for Rodalies de Catalunya's regional services was 9.267 million.[1]

Regional services run on major corridors between Barcelona and other cities in Catalonia, excluding the Barcelona–Mataró and the Barcelona–Vilafranca del Penedès corridors, which are served by Barcelona commuter rail service lines R1 and R4, respectively. In addition, none of the regional services (excepting line R12) calls at all stations near Barcelona, which are already served by the city's commuter rail service. Yet, they usually stop at almost all the stations in Barcelona city centre.[35]

The system's division for regional services is the precursor of several Renfe Operadora's Media Distancia regional lines in Catalonia, which were identified using letters 'Ca' (from the Catalan or the Spanish language form of Catalonia, Catalunya and Cataluña, respectively) plus a number.[22] With the transfer of all regional services to the Catalan government, the lines happened to be identified with letter 'R' like the already transferred Barcelona commuter rail service lines. In order to differentiate the regional lines from those that are part of the Barcelona commuter rail service, the first ones use only numbers larger than 10—currently, numbers 11–16—,[36] leaving numbers 1–10 for Barcelona commuter rail service lines.

Rodalies de Catalunya's regional lines have kept the same operating scheme just like before they were transferred, similarly to all other Renfe Operadora's Media Distancia lines around Spain. Likewise, there exist different types of train services. Specifically, the following types of train services are present in the system's division for regional lines:

  • Regional (R): These services usually call at all the stations on the line.[37]
  • Regional Exprés (RE): In contrast to R services, RE services have fewer stops and are faster. They are, however, slightly more expensive than R services.[37]
  • MD: Similar to RE services referring to the number of stops and operating speed, though they are exclusively operated by Renfe series 449 trains, Renfe Operadora's newest rolling stock for regional lines, and are more expensive than RE trains. Currently, they run only on line R11.[37]
Rodalies de Catalunya's regional lines (as of 24 March 2014)
Line Route Avg. weekday frequency Type of services No. of
stations
Length Previous name[22] Schedule
R11 Barcelona SantsGranollers CentreGironaFigueresPortbou/Cerbère[lower-alpha 5] 46 trains per day MD, R 28 170 km[38]
110 mi
Ca2 [9]
R12 L'Hospitalet de LlobregatTerrassaManresaCerveraLleida Pirineus 6 trains per day[lower-alpha 6] R 39 190 km[39]
118 mi
Ca4b [10]
R13 Barcelona Estació de FrançaVilanova i la GeltrúVallsMontblanc – Lleida Pirineus 4 trains per day[lower-alpha 7] R, RE 30 176 km[40]
109.4 mi
Ca4a [11]
R14 Barcelona Estació de França – Vilanova i la Geltrú – TarragonaReus – Montblanc – Lleida Pirineus 5 trains per day[lower-alpha 8] R, RE 31 204 km[41]
126.8 mi
R15 Barcelona Estació de França – Vilanova i la Geltrú – Tarragona – Reus – Móra la NovaRiba-roja d'Ebre (– Caspe) 25 trains per day R, RE 23 190 km[42]
118 mi
Ca3 [12]
R16 Barcelona Estació de França – Vilanova i la Geltrú – Tarragona – Tortosa/Ulldecona-Alcanar-La Sénia (– Vinaròs/Valencia Estació del Nord)[lower-alpha 9] 17 trains per day R, RE 19 211 km[43]
131.1 mi
Ca1 [13]

See also

Notes

  1. Note that 2013 annual ridership figures for neither the Camp de Taragona nor the Girona commuter rail services are included because they had not been created yet.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Passenger figures for former line R2, which was split up into three lines (R2, R2 Nord and R2 Sud) on 31 January 2009.
  3. Before the service was transferred to the Catalan government, the Vic–Latour-de-Carol section was a separate regional line from the rest of current line R3 known as Ca5.[22] Because of this, and despite being officially included as part of Barcelona commuter rail service line R3, it is still operated as a regional line and its service patterns are different from the rest of the line.[23] For more information on the section's service patterns, see the 'Schedule' section provided in this table.
  4. Some early morning services commence at Martorell instead of Barcelona Sant Andreu Arenal, following the route of line R4 from Martorell to Cerdanyola del Vallès.
  5. Although all inbound services towards Barcelona commence at Portbou, most outbound Regional (R) services cross the French border and terminate at Cerbère.
  6. There are also 3 additional services between Lleida Pirineus and Cervera.
  7. There are also 2 additional services between Sant Vicenç de Calders and La Plana-Picamoixons.
  8. There is also 1 additional service between Tarragona and La Plana-Picamoixons.
  9. After having branched off towards Tortosa, some trains reverse out in order to pick up again the main line towards Valencia.

References

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External links