Olot–Girona Railway
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The Olot to Girona Railway was a gauge railway line that operated over of track between
Olot Olot () is the capital city of the ''comarca'' of Garrotxa, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The city is known for its natural landscape, including four volcanoes scattered around the city center. The municipality is part of the Zon ...
and
Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...
, in the
province of Girona Girona (; es, Gerona ; french: Gérone) is a province of Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest by the province of Barcelona, on the ...
,
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The line crosses the
Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park The red-tailed silverside, or zona (''Bedotia geayi'') is a species of Madagascar rainbowfish endemic to the Mananjary River drainage in Madagascar. It is threatened by habitat loss and introduced species. It has often been confused with the rel ...
and follows the valleys of the
Fluvià The Fluvià () is a river in Catalonia. It rises in the Serralada Transversal, passes through Olot and Besalú, and flows into the Mediterranean Sea near Sant Pere Pescador. The ancient city of Empúries Empúries ( ca, Empúries ) was an ...
, and
Ter Ter or TER may refer to: Places * River Ter, in Essex, England * Ter (river), in Catalonia * Ter (department), a region in France * Torre (river), (Slovene: ''Ter''), a river in Italy * Ter, Ljubno, a settlement in the Municipality of Ljubno ob S ...
rivers. It opened in stages from 1895 to 1911, and closed in 1969. The first section of the line, which connected
Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
, in the western suburbs of Girona, to
Amer Amer may refer to: Places * Amer (river), a river in the Dutch province of North Brabant * Amer, Girona, a municipality in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain * Amber, India (also known as Amer, India), former city of Rajasthan state ** Am ...
opened in 1895. In 1898, the short section from Girona's main line railway station to Salt opened. In 1900, the section from Amer to les Planes d'Hostoles opened. In 1902, the line was extended to
Sant Feliu de Pallerols Sant Feliu de Pallerols is a village in the province of Girona and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The municipality covers an area of and the population in 2014 was 1,353. From 1902, Sant Feliu de Pallerols was linked to Girona by the n ...
. In 1911, the final extension to
Olot Olot () is the capital city of the ''comarca'' of Garrotxa, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The city is known for its natural landscape, including four volcanoes scattered around the city center. The municipality is part of the Zon ...
opened. The line suffered financial and physical losses during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. Republican troops blew up many of the bridges as they retreated and a large number of locomotives and rolling stock were lost. Flooding in 1940 also caused further damage to the tracks. In 1963 the railway was taken over by the state-owned
Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha Renfe Feve is a division of state-owned Spanish railway company Renfe Operadora. It operates most of Spain's of railway. This division of Renfe was previously a stand-alone company named FEVE (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha,Law 11/1965 of ...
(FEVE), but it was closed in July, 1969. The line has been converted into a greenway linking Olot and Girona. Many of the line's tunnels and bridges still exist, as do several station buildings. Most notably, the still stands, adjacent to the main line railway station, and is included in the .


References

Metre gauge railways in Spain Railway lines in Catalonia Railway lines opened in 1895 Transport in Garrotxa Transport in Gironès Transport in Selva {{Catalonia-rail-transport-stub