The Palamós to Flaçà, Girona and Banyoles Railway was a gauge

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

that operated over of track between Palamós,

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 ...

and

Banyoles Banyoles () is a city of 20,168 inhabitants (2021) located in the province of Girona in northeastern Catalonia, Spain. The town is the capital of the Catalan ''comarca'' " Pla de l'Estany". Although an established industrial centre many of th ...

, 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 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") , ...

. The line was promoted by the Tranvía del Bajo Ampurdán company.Morley, J. & P.G. Spencer, Locomotives & Railcars of the Spanish Narrow Gauge Public Railways, London, 1995, Industrial Railway Society The first section of the line, a stretch of from Palamós to

Flaçà Flaçà is a town in the Gironès county of Girona Province, Catalonia, Spain. It occupies an area of 6.67 square kilometers and extends the hills of the Lloreda Valley and alluvial plain of the Ter river. It borders the Ter River to the north and ...

via Palafrugell and

La Bisbal d'Empordà La Bisbal d'Empordà is the county seat of the ''comarca'' of Baix Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. The town lies 29 km southeast of Girona, 12 km west of Palafrugell and 19 km northwest of Palamós along road C-66 from Girona t ...

, opened in 1887. From its opening, the railway had a connection with the Iberian () gauge Barcelona–Cerbère railway at Flaçà, and provided the only rail connection to the port at Palamós and the inland towns of Palafrugell and La Bisbal. The trains transported passengers and freight, especially

cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, which was exported from nearby plantations to destinations in France and beyond. In 1905, the line was purchased by the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

owned '' Ferrocarriles Económicos de Cataluña'' company. In 1921, the line was extended by from Flaçà to

, running roughly parallel to the Iberian gauge main line. The Girona terminus, at Porta de França, was some distance from the city's main line station and the termini of the city's two other narrow gauge railways, the Sant Feliu de Guíxols–Girona railway and 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 ...

. In 1923, the railway line changed hands again, being acquired by the '' Ferrocarriles Económicos Españoles''. In 1928, a branch was opened to

, diverging from the main line at in the north of Girona. The line was badly damaged 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 Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

, and in 1941 it was taken over by the state owned organisation . The line was reopened in 1942, after the war time damage had been repaired, but it closed for good in 1956. Part of the line between Palamós and Palafrugell has been converted into a greenway. The , a wayside station building between Pont Major and Banyoles, still exists and is included in the . Outside the building a platform and short stretch of roadside track has been reconstructed, and a replica of one of the line's passenger cars is displayed.

Gallery

File:Locomotora Baix Empordà.jpg, One of the line's locomotives in 1953 File:04 palpal lw.jpg, Greenway of the route of the line File:Baixador de Mata.jpg, Baixador de Mata File:Monument commemoratiu del Baixador de Mata.jpg, Replica of passenger car

References

750 mm gauge railways in Spain Railway lines in Catalonia Railway lines opened in 1887 Transport in Gironès Transport in Baix Empordà {{Catalonia-rail-transport-stub