The

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 ...

city of

Parla Parla () is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located in the southern part of the region, approximately 20 km from the capital, Madrid. History Origins Earliest evidence of human occupation includes stone tools m ...

has a circular tram line which provides transportation within the city as well as to the rest of the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

. This network is

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

which facilitates compatibility and vehicle interchangeability with other lines built or planned in the Community of Madrid. The main shareholder of the company is

Globalvia Globalvia (stylised as globalvia) is a Spanish multinational transport infrastructure company that operates in 11 countries across three continents. In June 2022, Globalvia in partnership with Kinetic Group launched a takeover bid for the Britis ...

(a Spanish private infrastructure company) with 85%, and then CCM with 15%. The tram is integrated in the

Metro Ligero The Metro Ligero (; literally "Light Metro", meaning "Light Rail") is a semi-metro system in Madrid, Spain. It has three lines, totaling , and 37 stations. Lines Line ML-1 Line ML-1 opened between Pinar de Chamartín and Las Tablas on 24 May 2 ...

system as ''ML Line 4''.

Project

This is a project promoted by the local administration of Parla. Opened on 6 May 2007 (Phase I), and 8 September 2007 (Phase II), can be the journey between the stations Plaza de Toros to Parla Industrial City until completion of the works of the station North Parla (which is still to be opened and will house a railway interchange with

Cercanías Madrid Cercanías Madrid is the commuter rail service that serves Madrid, the capital of Spain, and its metropolitan area. It is operated by Cercanías Renfe, the commuter rail division of Renfe, the former monopoly of rail services in Spain. Its tot ...

). It consists of a circular line of 15 stations with stops every , a total length of (similar to the Montpellier tramway). It connects the city center with new urban developments (Parla Este among them) and points of interest in the city such as the Commissioner of Police, health and cultural centers, shopping centers, etc. There is a connection with the Parla station of

located in downtown Parla and in future with a new station in the north of the city. Along with the construction of the tram, there have been "park and ride" facilities built throughout the city to promote the use of public transport.

Extensions

There were plans to eventually build two more lines, also circular. *"Line 2" (or Metro Ligero ''ML-5'') would run to PAU-5, located on the banks of the A-42, to aid in the development of the Parla industrial park. *"Line 3" (or Metro Ligero ''ML-6'') would serve the future developments of southern Parla and the hospital and the new commuter train station to be located in the south of the city. Given the financial crisis facing the city there are many questions about the economic feasibility of extending the system. , Parla Tram remains a single line.

Ticketing

The ticket price is similar to urban bus lines in the city. Madrid regional travel passes are valid (at least B2 zone).

Capacity

Parla Tram uses the

Alstom Citadis The Alstom Citadis is a family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles built by Alstom. , over 2,300 Citadis trams have been sold and 1,800 tramways are in revenue service throughout the world, with operations in all six inhabited continents ...

302, with a maximum capacity of 220 passengers, being the same amount as three buses. This model is the same used in

Trambaix The Trambaix () is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is operated by TRAMMET connecting the Baix Llobregat area with the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It opened to the public on 5 April 2004 after a weekend when the tram could be us ...

and Trambesòs 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 ...

Tenerife Tram Tenerife Tram () is a light rail or tram service located on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands in Spain. It is operated by Metropolitano de Tenerife, a limited company now 100% owned by Cabildo de Tenerife. Service started on 2 Jun ...

, Murcia Tram and Metro Ligero de Madrid.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Rail transport in Spain Tram transport in Spain