Tramways are back in Barcelona
34 years after the closure of the last tramway line
serving the Catalan capital city, four lines of the
new tramway network of Barcelona (see EMTA
News n°2) were inaugurated in April and May.
This
network consists in two separate infrastructures:
Trambaix, connecting Barcelona with Southern
suburbs, and Trambesos, connecting Barcelona
with Northen suburbs.
Trambaix, which comprises three lines (T1, T2 and
T3), has a total length of 12km with 25 stops
providing several connections with metro and
regional trains.
15 CITADIS tramways will serve the
routes, that are expected to carry 16 million
passengers per year. Trambesos (line T4) consists
in a 4.8km line (that will be extended by 1.7km),
with 14 stations, and is expected to carry 4 million
passengers during the first year of operation.
Line
T4 will serve the Forum of Culture facilities close
to the Sea, and will enable some ambitious projects
of urban renewal.
Building and operation of the lines was awarded
by ATM, the regional public transport authority, to
a concessionaire company called Tramvia
Metropolità through a BOT (Build Operate Transfer
Contract) for a 25-year period.
The consortium comprises
rail manufacturer Alstom, public transport
operators Soler y Sauret and Connex, and two
banks. The investment amounts to €446 million
for the two systems (€246m for Trambaix and
€200m for Trambesos).
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Updated : June 9, 2004
