El Tren de la Fresa or the Strawberry Train is an heritage train service operated on the railway that was inaugurated on 9 February 1851 between

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

and

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of Tagus, a bit upstream the discharge of the Jarama. , the municipality h ...

as the second railway line in mainland

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 original purpose of the railway was to connect Spain's capital with the

Royal Palace of Aranjuez The Royal Palace of Aranjuez ( es, Palacio Real de Aranjuez) is one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family. It is located in the town of Aranjuez (Madrid), Spain. Established in the 16th century as a royal hunting lodge, the pal ...

. It was called the "Tren de la Fresa", the "Strawberry Train," as it originally went past vast fields of strawberries en route. ''Fresa con Nata'' (Strawberries with whipped cream) is a speciality produce of the town. In the early 1980s, the and RENFE recovered the route with a special service for tourists with heritage rolling stock starting on 27 May 1984. The excursions run from Spring (late April or early May) to late June or early July and then again from mid-September to mid-October. The train departs from the

Railway Museum A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives ( steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment. They may also operate historic ...

housed in the old Las Delicias station, arriving fifty minutes later in Aranjuez. The return journey departs from Aranjuez at 18:25, arriving in Madrid at 19:15. The train is usually pulled by a steam locomotive and includes 6 wooden coaches of nineteenth century vintage but for the 2013 season RENFE has declared that a conventional electric or diesel locomotive will be used to pull vintage carriages.Official site with service declaration in Spanish
/ref> The ticket includes a guided visit to the historic part of Aranjuez, the Royal palace and its gardens. Passengers also receive en route a plate of the famous local strawberries from hostesses dressed in nineteenth century period costumes.

References

25 years of the Strawberry Train by the Aranjuez Municipal archivist - in Spanish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strawberry Train Heritage railways in Spain