Girona (Catalan: ''Estació de Girona'') is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

serving the city of

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capit ...

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 no ...

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") , ...

. It is located in the northern part of the municipality, lying at approximately southwest of the city's historical centre. The station is on the Barcelona–Cerbère conventional rail line and the

Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line The Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed line is an international high-speed rail line between France and Spain. The line consists of a railway, of which 24.6 km are in France and 150.8 km are in Spain. It crosses the French–Spanish bord ...

. It is served by Rodalies de Catalunya regional line and Girona commuter rail service line , as well as by several national and international

AVE ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...

and

TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...

high-speed services operated by Renfe Operadora and

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffic ...

. Girona also has a freight station, located about south of the passenger station.

History

This station was opened in 1862, when Iberian () gauge trains on the Barcelona–Cerbère line started arriving from

Maçanet de la Selva Maçanet de la Selva () is a Spanish municipality in the province of Girona, situated in the ''comarca'' of the Selva, Catalonia. It is an important communications junction, where the routes from the coast meet those from the Prelittoral Depress ...

. From 1892, the station was also served by narrow () gauge trains on the Sant Feliu de Guíxols–Girona railway and, from 1898, by narrow () gauge trains on the

Olot–Girona railway The Olot to Girona Railway was a gauge railway line that operated over of track between Olot and Girona, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The line crosses the Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park and follows the valleys of t ...

. Both these narrow gauge lines closed in 1969. Girona's third narrow gauge line, the Palamós–Girona–Banyoles railway that served the city between 1921 and 1956, terminated some distance away at Porta de França. The Iberian gauge station was re-located onto an elevated viaduct in 1973. By 2012, the station, while remaining in the same location, was planned to become subterranean with all tracks including the new high speed from Barcelona to France moved underground. However, due to severe work delays the underground station opened on 8 January 2013 with only the standard () gauge high speed tracks, and the elevated station remains in service.

Station layout

Girona station has tracks on two levels. Trains on the original Barcelona–Cerbère line operate via a set of high-level platforms situated on a viaduct, whilst trains on the new high speed line from Barcelona to France operate through a set of low-level platforms. The station has a large passenger building underneath the high-level tracks, where there are several services including commercial establishments. The Girona bus station is located just next door. The trains run on the upper level, which is accessed by stairs, escalators, and elevators. This level has a total of four tracks: two general, one Iberian gauge siding on one side and one standard gauge siding on the other side. There are a total of three platforms, partially covered by canopies, and a building on the right of way dedicated to traffic and various services related to railways. The low-level platforms are situated parallel to, and just to the west of, the high-level platforms, but are below ground level. There are four standard gauge tracks, on either side of two island platforms. The platforms are accessed by stairs, escalators, and elevators from an entrance hall above the tracks. The still stands, adjacent to the low-level entrance hall, and is included in the .

References

External links

Girona
listing at the Adif website
Girona
listing at the Rodalies de Catalunya website
Information and photos of the station
at trenscat.cat {{Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line stations Buildings and structures in Girona Railway stations in Catalonia Railway stations in Spain opened in 1862 Rodalies de Catalunya stations Transport in Girona Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line