The Tramvia Blau (

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

for "blue tramway") is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is a long heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the

Sarrià-Sant Gervasi Sarrià-Sant Gervasi is one of the biggest districts of Barcelona. It's the district with the highest per capita income, the largest proportion of university degrees and the lowest unemployment rate. Situated on the north-west of the city, surr ...

district between the terminus of FGC Barcelona Metro L7 and the

Funicular del Tibidabo The Tibidabo Funicular ( ca, Funicular del Tibidabo; es, Funicular del Tibidabo) is a funicular railway in the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. The line connects ''Plaça del Doctor Andreu'', the upper terminus of the ''Tramvia Blau'', wit ...

. The Tramvia Blau is operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) but it is not part of Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) integrated fare network. Tickets must be purchased from the tram conductor. The Tramvia Blau is one of only two first generation

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

ways to survive in

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") , ...

, along with the Tranvía de Sóller on the island of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

. The Tibidabo tramway has been closed for reconstruction since Spring 2018.

History

The line was built at the instigation of Dr. Salvador Andreu, who was building a residential project around the axis of the Tibidabo Avenue, and was inaugurated in 1901. The line connected at ''Plaça Kennedy'' with trams of Barcelona's city system, but was independently owned. The line's own distinctive blue livery soon led to it becoming known as the Tramvia Blau. The line suffered several changes in 1922 and 1958. In 1954, line 7 of the Barcelona Metro was opened to Avinguda Tibidabo station under ''Plaça Kennedy'', providing another connection to central Barcelona. However, in the 1960s the city trams were withdrawn from ''Plaça Kennedy'', cutting the Tramvia Blau off from the city network. In 1971 the remaining tram routes of the ''Tranvías de Barcelona'' company were closed. However, the separately owned Tramvia Blau remained in operation. It continued in private ownership until 1979, when it was taken over by the city, who continued to operate it. Between 1971 and 2004, when the second generation

Trambaix The Trambaix () is one of Barcelona's three tram systems. It is operated by TRAMMET connecting the Baix Llobregat area with the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It opened to the public on 5 April 2004 after a weekend when the tram could b ...

and

Trambesòs Trambesòs () is a tram– light rail system in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia that links the Barcelona district of Sant Martí with Badalona and Sant Adrià de Besòs. Its name comes from the union of the words "tram", an abbr ...

lines opened, it was the only tram route in the city.

Operation

Infrastructure

The Tramvia Blau is long, climbing a vertical distance of at a maximum gradient of 8%. It is constructed to gauge and is double track, apart from single track stub terminals at each terminus. It runs in the ''Avinguda Tibidabo'' throughout, and is not segregated from other traffic. The line's depot is accessed by some of single track, which is not used in passenger service. The depot branch joins the main line near its midpoint, adjacent to the bridge carrying the ''Avinguda Tibidabo'' over the

Ronda de Dalt Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

. The line serves the following stops:

Tram fleet

The line is operated with a fleet of seven historic tram cars:

References

External links