The Tramvia Blau () is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is a long heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district between the terminus of FGC

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 ...

L7 and the Funicular del Tibidabo. The Tramvia Blau is 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.' ...

(TMB) but it is not part of Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) integrated fare network. Tickets must be purchased from the tram conductor. The Tramvia Blau is one of only two first generation

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

ways to survive in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, along with the Tranvía de Sóller on the island of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

. It has been closed for reconstruction since spring 2018, with no known date scheduled for reopening.

History

The line was built at the instigation of Dr. Salvador Andreu, who was building a residential project around the axis of the Tibidabo Avenue, and was inaugurated in 1901. The line connected at ''Plaça Kennedy'' with trams of Barcelona's city system, but was independently owned. The line's own distinctive blue livery soon led to it becoming known as the Tramvia Blau. The line suffered several changes in 1922 and 1958. In 1954, line 7 of the

was opened to Avinguda Tibidabo station under ''Plaça Kennedy'', providing another connection to central Barcelona. However, in the 1960s the city trams were withdrawn from ''Plaça Kennedy'', cutting the Tramvia Blau off from the city network. In 1971 the remaining tram routes of the ''Tranvías de Barcelona'' company were closed. However, the separately owned Tramvia Blau remained in operation. It continued in private ownership until 1979, when it was taken over by the city, who continued to operate it. Between 1971 and 2004, when the second generation Trambaix and Trambesòs lines opened, it was the only tram route in the city.

Operation

Infrastructure

The Tramvia Blau is long, climbing a vertical distance of at a maximum gradient of 8%. It is constructed to gauge and is double track, apart from single track stub terminals at each terminus. It runs in the ''Avinguda Tibidabo'' throughout, and is not segregated from other traffic. The line's depot is accessed by some of single track, which is not used in passenger service. The depot branch joins the main line near its midpoint, adjacent to the bridge carrying the ''Avinguda Tibidabo'' over the Ronda de Dalt. The line serves the following stops:

Tram fleet

The line is operated with a fleet of seven historic tram cars:

References

External links