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Ramal (Branch) or Línea R (Line R) of the
Madrid Metro The Madrid Metro ( Spanish: ''Metro de Madrid'') is a rapid transit system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the 14th longest rapid transit system in the world, with a total length of 293 km (182 mi). Its gr ...
is a
shuttle train A shuttle train is a train that runs back and forth between two points, especially if it offers a frequent service over a short route. Shuttle trains are used in various ways, in various parts of the world. They commonly operate as a fixed consi ...
connecting the stations of Ópera and
Príncipe Pío Príncipe is the smaller, northern major island of the country of São Tomé and Príncipe lying off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It has an area of (including offshore islets) and a population of 7,324 at the 2012 Census;
. It is located in the
Centro Centro may refer to: Places Brazil *Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...
district of
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
,
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 ...
. It is currently the only line in the system to be known by a letter instead of a number, and its name refers to its origins as a
branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...
of Line 2. The line consists of of wide-profile tunnels, and its stations have platforms. Ramal starts at Ópera station in the Plaza de Isabel II, passes under the
Plaza de Oriente The Plaza de Oriente is a square in the historic center of Madrid, Spain. Rectangular in shape and monumental in character, it was designed in 1844 by Narciso Pascual y Colomer. The square was propagated by King Joseph I, who ordered the demolit ...
and the gardens of the
Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...
, and ends at Príncipe Pío station. Since Ramal consists of only two stations, it has only two trains, which pass at the halfway point between the stations. At Ópera, there is only one platform; at Príncipe Pío, there are two platforms, but one is used for train storage. Ramal uses 4-car CAF Series 3000 trains.


History

Ramal opened on 27 December 1925 as a branch of Line 2 providing service to the Estación del Norte (North Station, today Príncipe Pío station), which was one of the city's major long-distance train stations. Since the Estación del Norte was located on the banks of the
Manzanares River The Manzanares () is a river in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, which flows from the Sierra de Guadarrama, passes through Madrid, and eventually empties into the Jarama river, which in turn is a right-bank tributary to the Tagus. In its ...
, Ramal helped travelers avoid climbing the Cuesta de San Vicente, a hillside between the river and the city center. Ramal's two stations experienced several name changes over the course of their history. Ópera was originally named Isabel II after the Plaza de Isabel II, which was in turn named after
Queen Isabella II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successi ...
. After the proclamation of the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...
on 14 April 1931, the new authorities ordered all place names referring to the monarchy to be changed. On 24 June 1931, Isabel II station was renamed Ópera after the nearby Teatro Real opera house. That same year, the plaza was renamed Plaza de Fermín Galán, after Fermín Galán, leader of the failed
Jaca uprising The Jaca uprising ( es, Sublevación de Jaca) was a military revolt on 12–13 December 1930 in Jaca, Huesca, Spain, with the purpose of overthrowing the monarchy of Spain. The revolt was launched prematurely, was poorly organized and was quickly ...
of 1930, which sought to overthrow
King Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alfo ...
. On 5 June 1937, the station too was renamed Fermín Galán. After the establishment of the
Francoist State Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spa ...
in 1939, many of the city's place names were changed once again. In 1939, the plaza's name was changed back to Plaza de Isabel II, and the station's name was changed back to Ópera. In 1995, the Estación del Norte was expanded and remodeled in preparation for the expansion of Line 6, and it was renamed Príncipe Pío after the nearby hill. By this time, Chamartín station, another major long-distance train station located further north, had already been in operation for several decades, so the name Estación del Norte (North Station) was no longer appropriate. Later, when Line 13 and 14 was opened, the Ramal (Line R or the branch), would be renamed to Line 15, and would be extended to Chamartín Norte in the 2030s.


Stations


See also

*
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
*
Transport in Madrid Madrid is served by highly developed transport infrastructure. Road, rail and air links are vital to maintain the economic position of Madrid as a leading centre of employment, enterprise, trade and tourism, providing effective connections with n ...
*
List of Madrid Metro stations This is a list of the stations of the Madrid Metro. Line 1 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Line 2 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Line 3 ...
*
List of metro systems This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, U-Bahn or undergrounds. , 205 cities in 61 countries have a metro system. The London ...


References


External links

* * * * {{Madrid Metro Madrid Metro lines Railway lines opened in 1925 1925 establishments in Spain