Ferrocarrils De La Generalitat
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

(, "Catalan Government Railways";
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
: ''Ferrocarriles de la Generalidad de Cataluña''), or FGC, is a
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
company which operates several unconnected lines in
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
, Spain. The lines operated include metro and commuter lines in and around the city of
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, tourist mountain railways, and rural railway lines. They include of gauge route, of route, of route, and of
broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...
route, making the FGC one of the few railway companies to operate on four different gauges. Whilst most lines are conventional
adhesion railway An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train, and is the most widespread and common type of railway in the world. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. Since the vast majority of railw ...
s, the FGC also operates two
rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
s and four
funicular railways A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...
. In 2018, the network carried 87.2 million passengers.


History

FGC was founded on 5 September 1979 to manage lines whose ownership was transferred from the state-owned
FEVE Renfe Cercanías AM, formerly known as Renfe Feve, is a division of state-owned Spanish railway company Renfe Operadora. It operates most of Spain's of metre-gauge railway. This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named F ...
to the
Generalitat of Catalonia The Generalitat de Catalunya (; ; ), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia is Self-governance, self-governed as an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is made up of the Parli ...
in 1978 as part of the process of regional
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
under the
Spanish Constitution of 1978 The Spanish Constitution () is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in 1978 in a constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The current version was a ...
. Its oldest line, the standard gauge '' Línia Barcelona-Vallès'' however dates back to 1863 which was built and operated by Companyia del Ferrocarril de Barcelona a Sarrià from 1863 until 1874, and Ferrocarril de Sarrià a Barcelona (FSB) (with Ferrocarrils de Catalunya (FCC)) from 1874 until severe financial difficulties forced FSB and FCC to be acquired by
FEVE Renfe Cercanías AM, formerly known as Renfe Feve, is a division of state-owned Spanish railway company Renfe Operadora. It operates most of Spain's of metre-gauge railway. This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named F ...
in 1977, which operated it until FGC took over the line in 1979. The second oldest line the ''
Llobregat–Anoia line The Llobregat–Anoia Line () is an unconnected metre gauge railway line linking Barcelona with the Baix Llobregat, Bages and Anoia regions, in Catalonia, Spain. Its name refers to the fact that it follows the course of the Llobregat and A ...
'' was opened in 1892 as an interurban tram using metre gauge tracks, which was taken over by the Companyia General dels Ferrocarrils Catalans (CGFC) in 1912 and transformed it into a train line; CGFC being later taken over by FSB and FCC, followed by the broad gauge Lleida – La Pobla de Segur line in 1951 and operated by
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
until it was transferred to FGC in 2005–2010.


Barcelona metro and commuter lines

FGC operates some of the
commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
network in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. Voice announcements and signs on trains and stations of lines operated by FGC are exclusively in the Catalan language, unlike in the lines operated by
Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona The Barcelona Metropolitan Transport, or ''Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona'' (TMB) in Catalan, is the main public transit operator in Barcelona. A combination of two formerly-separate companies, ''Ferrocarril Metropolità de Barcelona, SA.' ...
and
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
which remain bilingual or trilingual (Catalan, Spanish or "Castellano" and eventually English) in order to serve a large and diverse userbase. All lines are overhead DC
electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...
at 1.5 kV. There are two distinct (and separate) systems: * The Metro del Vallès and Línia de Balmes are 8 standard-gauge lines that run from Plaça de Catalunya railway station to Av. Tibidabo (L7, brown on the map),
Sarrià Sarria is a municipality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain. Sarria or Sarrià may also refer to: *Sarrià, Barcelona, a neighbourhood in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain **Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, the Barcelona district containing Sarrià **Sarrià ...
(L6, purple) and
Sant Cugat del Vallès Sant Cugat del Vallès () is a town and municipality north of Barcelona, Catalonia. Known as ''Castrum Octavianum'' in antiquity (which means ''the castle of Octavianus'') and as ''Pins del Vallès'' during the Second Spanish Republic, it is nam ...
(S5), and then on to
Sabadell Sabadell () is a city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the ''comarca'' of Vallès Occidental, where it is one of the two capitals, the other being Terrassa. It is located on the River Ripoll, north of Barcelona, a ...
(S2) or
Terrassa Terrassa () is a city in central-eastern Catalonia and in the province of Barcelona (Spain). It is one of the two capitals of Vallès Occidental county, being the larger in both area and population. The name ''Terrassa'' derives from Latin ''Te ...
(S1). In rush hour some of them only arrive at Universitat Auntònoma (S6) or at Rubí (S7). The eighth line is the L12, a shuttle subway service between Sarrià and Reina Elisenda. * The Metro del Baix Llobregat and Llobregat–Anoia line are metre-gauge lines that run from the Plaça d'Espanya railway station to Molí Nou-Ciutat Cooperativa (in
Sant Boi de Llobregat Sant Boi de Llobregat () is a city in the Province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, located on the banks of the Llobregat river. In 2019 it had 83,605 inhabitants. The city is divided into six neighborhoods (named ''barris'' in Catalan): Ciu ...
, L8 – pink on the map), Martorell-Enllaç (S8) and then on to
Olesa de Montserrat Olesa de Montserrat () is a municipality in the comarca of Baix Llobregat, in Catalonia, Spain. Olesa de Montserrat is well known around the nearby places because of its olive oil and textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umb ...
(S4) and
Manresa Manresa () is the capital of Bages county, located in the central region of Catalonia, Spain. Crossed by the river Cardener, it is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged aro ...
(R5), or
Igualada Igualada () is a municipality and capital of Anoia county in Penedès, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the Anoia River and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona Railway. Igualada is the capital and central ...
(R6). There is also an unelectrified metre-gauge freight line to the port of Barcelona, which diverges from the main line between Sant Boi and Cornellà. Along the Llobregat valley, FGC runs on the right bank through Sant Boi de Llobregat,
Sant Vicenç dels Horts Sant Vicenç dels Horts () is a municipality in the Province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the right bank of the Llobregat river, on the N-340 road from Molins de Rei to Vilafranca del Penedès. The main rail lines of the L ...
,
Pallejà Pallejà () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia ...
and on to Martorell (Enllaç), whereas the broad gauge line R4 runs on the left bank through towns
Sant Joan Despí ; ) is a city and municipality located in the Baix Llobregat area ( Barcelona province in Catalonia, Spain). It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river. ''Es'' is a dialectal form of the masculine article ''el'', hence ''Despí'' wou ...
,
Sant Feliu de Llobregat Sant Feliu de Llobregat () is an industrial city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona (province), Barcelona. It is the capital of the Comarques of Catalonia, comarca of Baix Llobregat, and the see of a Roman Catholic ...
,
Molins de Rei Molins de Rei () or Molins de Rey in Spanish is a municipality located 18 km from Barcelona's city centre, in the ''comarca'' of Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river, on the A-7 ''aut ...
and on to Martorell. The line numbering is as follows: * L-prefixed lines (L for Línia – line) are treated as part of the Barcelona metro system, which consists of L1-L5 for the metro proper, L6-L8 on the FGC, L9 and L10 partially open and partially under construction, and L11, a short light rail line system in the northwest – see
Barcelona Metro The Barcelona Metro (Catalan language, Catalan and Spanish language, Spanish: ) is a rapid transit network that runs mostly underground in central Barcelona and into the city's suburbs. It is part of the larger public transport system ...
. L6 and L7 used to be known as U6 and U7 (U for Urbà – urban), while L8 was formerly known as S3. * S-prefixed lines (S for Suburbà) are suburban lines, extending into metropolitan fare zone 2 or 3. * R-prefixed lines (R for Rodalies) are Interurban lines, extending beyond zone 3. Lines R1-R4, R7 and R8 are run by
Rodalies de Catalunya Rodalies de Catalunya (; "Commuter Railways of Catalonia") is the main Commuter rail, commuter and regional rail system in the Spain, Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. It is administered by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Government of C ...
(currently operated by
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
), R5 and R6 are run and operated by FGC.


Mountain railway, tourist and funicular lines

The FGC operates three
mountain railway A mountain railway is a railway that operates in a mountainous region. It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath mountain passes, or it may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the su ...
lines: * The
Montserrat Rack Railway The Montserrat Rack Railway (Spanish and , ) is a mountain railway line north-west of Barcelona in Catalonia. The line runs from Monistrol de Montserrat to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat. The line is long and has a rail gauge of ...
, which runs from Monistrol, on FGC's suburban line to Manresa (R5), to the mountain-top monastery of Montserrat. This line re-opened in 2003, having opened in 1892 and closed in 1957. It is of metre gauge using the Abt rack railway system. * The
Vall de Núria Rack Railway The Vall de Núria Rack Railway (, ) is a mountain railway in the Pyrenees mountains in the north of the Catalonia region of Spain. The line connects Ribes de Freser with Queralbs and Vall de Núria in Ripollès, Girona. As Queralbs is the highe ...
, in the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
mountains of northern Catalonia. This is also of metre gauge using the Abt
rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...
system, and the two lines, although many kilometres apart, occasionally swap stock. * The Ferrocarril Turístic de l'Alt Llobregat, which runs from
La Pobla de Lillet La Pobla de Lillet () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Berguedà in Catalonia. It is located in the upper valley of the Llobregat river and is linked to Guardiola de Berguedà by Road B-402. The town is home to the Artigas Gardens, ...
to
Clot del Moro A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...
, also in northern Catalonia. This line is of gauge, and operates using adhesion only. The FGC also operates four
funicular railways A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...
: * The
Funicular de Sant Joan The Sant Joan Funicular (; ) is a funicular railway at Montserrat, near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects the monastery, and the upper terminus of the Montserrat Rack Railway, with sacred sites, walking trails and viewpoints highe ...
, from the upper station of the Montserrat Rack Railway to the summit of the mountain of Montserrat. * The Funicular de Santa Cova, also from the upper station of the Montserrat Rack Railway to a nearby shrine. * The
Funicular de Gelida The Gelida Funicular (; ) is a funicular railway in the municipality of Gelida in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects Gelida station, on the RENFE (''Spanish National Railways''), with the centre of the village of Gelida, which is at a higher lev ...
, connecting the town of
Gelida Gelida () is a town and municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Penedès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The town is built on a hillside above the Anoia river The Anoia () is a river in Catalonia, Spain, a tributary of the Llobregat. Most of its ...
with its railway station. * The
Funicular de Vallvidrera The Vallvidrera Funicular ( Catalan and Spanish: ''Funicular de Vallvidrera'') is a funicular railway in the Barcelona district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, in Catalonia, Spain. It connects Peu del Funicular station on the Barcelona–Vallès Lin ...
, connecting a station on the Metro del Vallès suburban line to the top of the
Tibidabo Tibidabo () is a hill overlooking Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. At , it is the tallest hill in the Serra de Collserola. Rising sharply to the north-west, it has views over the city and the surrounding coastline. The summit of the hill is occupi ...
hill.


Broad-gauge lines

On 1 January 2005, ownership of the non-electrified broad-gauge line from
Lleida Lleida (, ; ; '' see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It ...
to
La Pobla de Segur La Pobla de Segur () is a municipality located in the Comarques of Catalonia, comarca of Pallars Jussà, province of Lleida, Catalonia, in northern Spain. It has a population of . It is situated at the confluence of the Flamicell and Noguera Palla ...
passed from
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
to FGC. This is the most derelict line in Catalonia – the stretch from Lleida to
Balaguer Balaguer () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Noguera, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It is located by the river Segre, a tributary to the Ebro. The municipality includes an exclave to the east. Balaguer also has a sister city ...
had been upgraded (using second-hand rails) in the recent past, but from Balaguer northwards the track was in an appalling state. FGC has a number of plans for this line, including increasing the service frequency from three trains a day to a 30-minute service from Balaguer to Lleida, along the lines of a commuter railway; replacing all the rails and sleepers; introducing new trains to replace the ancient diesel stock currently used; and promotion of the line to tourists (it passes through some scenic countryside at its northern end). There were even plans to extend the line to the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
and possibly on to connect with railways in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
– the plan when the line was built, but never carried out. Recent budget cuts had left the line in a worse state than it was on Renfe days, with then three daily services from Lleida to Balaguer and only one running the whole length up to La Pobla de Segur. , the service on the line was as follows: * Monday to Friday: 1 train Lleida – La Pobla de Segur and return (RL2), 3 trains Lleida – Balaguer and return (RL1) * Saturday: 1 train Lleida – La Pobla de Segur and return, 2 trains Lleida – Balaguer and return * Sunday: 1 train Lleida – La Pobla de Segur and return, 2 trains Lleida – Balaguer and return However, as of 2024, the service has improved, following the introduction of new
Stadler GTW The Stadler GTW (, ) is an articulated railcar for local transport made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. History The Biel–Täuffelen–Ins-Bahn near Bern, Switzerland was looking for a lighter train model to replace its aging fleet, so tha ...
trains. There are now 10 trains a day between Lleida and Balaguer every day, and 5 trains a day between Lleida and La Pobla de Segur on weekdays (2 on Saturdays, and 3 on Sundays and holidays).


Freight

FGC currently operates two types of freight services on the Llobregat–Anoia line; one of which carries
potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.
and salt from
Súria Súria () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of the Bages in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the valley of the Cardener river between Manresa and Cardona, Spain, Cardona. The area is best kn ...
and Sallent respectively to Martorell for cleaning and processing before being sent to the
Port of Barcelona The Port of Barcelona (, ; ) is a major port in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Its are divided into three zones: Port Vell (the Old Port), the commercial/industrial port, and the logistics port (Barcelona Free Port). The port is managed by the Port ...
, and the other carries cars from
SEAT A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...
's main factory in Martorell to the Port of Barcelona. In September 2012, FGC announced that it was planning to start operating freight services across the Spanish rail network, as an
open access operator In rail transport, an open-access operator is an operator that takes full commercial risk, running on infrastructure owned by a third party and buying paths on a chosen route and, in countries where rail services run under franchises, are not s ...
. Initial routes would be
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...
and
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.


See also

*
Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE), officially registered as Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha and known in its last years by the brand name Feve, was a Spanish public Rail transport, railway operator, founded in 1965, in charge of ope ...
*
Renfe Feve Renfe Cercanías AM, formerly known as Renfe Feve, is a division of state-owned Spanish railway company Renfe Operadora. It operates most of Spain's of metre-gauge railway. This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named F ...
*
History of rail transport in Spain The history of rail transport in Spain begins in the 19th century. In 1848, a railway line between Barcelona and Mataró was inaugurated,
*
List of FGC lines This is a comprehensive list of all the lines operated by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalan government-owned Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya rail company, ordered by type. Suburban lines The FGC suburban lines is the collective n ...
*
Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...
*
Transportation in Spain Transport in Spain is characterised by a network of roads, railways (including having high speed rail network that is the second longest in the world), trams, air routes, and ports. Its geographic location makes it an important link between Eu ...


References


External links


FGC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrocarrils De La Generalitat De Catalunya Companies based in Barcelona Railway companies of Spain Regional rail in Spain Rail transport in Catalonia Rail transport in Barcelona Transport operators in Barcelona 600 mm gauge railways in Spain Metre-gauge railways in Spain Standard-gauge railways in Spain Iberian-gauge railways Spanish companies established in 1979 Railway companies established in 1979