C-9 (Cercanías Madrid)

Line C-9, formerly known as the Guadarrama Electric Railway (), is a narrow-gauge mountain railway incorporated into Madrid's Cercanías commuter rail network. The line is operated by Renfe Operadora and runs through the Guadarrama Mountains from Cercedilla, Madrid to , Segovia. Although classified as a commuter rail line, Line C-9 primarily serves the ski resorts at Cotos and Navacerrada Passes, connecting with the rest of the commuter rail system with the Line C-8 at Cercedilla Station. Line C-9 is the only metre-gauge railway among the Cercanías Madrid lines.

History

The railway was first conceived in the 1910s as a means of connecting urban Madrid to the Guadarrama Mountains via the Navacerrada Pass. Construction began in 1919 and the section connecting Cercedilla on the Madrid-Segovia Line with Navacerrada opened on 12 July 1923 as the Guadarrama Electric Railway. The opening was attended by the King and Queen of Spain. The line was originally electrified at 1000 V dc. Service was interrupted during the Spanish Civil War but resumed in 1940. In 1954, the line was acquired by the state-controlled RENFE, the only metre gauge line to be operated by them. RENFE began constructing the extension to Cotos Pass in 1959. The section to Cotos, including a long tunnel through Navacerrada, was completed in 1964.

From 1973 to 1975, the entire line was renovated and modernized and the line voltage increased to 1500 V dc. The line was anticipated to continue through the mountains to Segovia, but this plan was abandoned. In 1990, the Guadarrama Electric Railway was incorporated into RENFE's commuter rail network, Cercanías Madrid, and renamed Line C-9. The portion of the line between Navacerrada and Cotos was closed from 2011 to 2012 to undergo renovations.

Rolling stock

The original Swiss built railcars ordered in 1922 remained in service until 1964. Initially there were two motor cars and two trailers with an extra motor car and two trailers being added in 1936. They were replaced by second hand SECN stock, nicknamed ''Navals'', from other metre gauge lines, principally from the Ferrocarill de la Loma. These were six motor cars, numbered 3006–3011, and two trailers, numbered 6011–6012. They were later classified by RENFE as Class 431. The brakes on these units proved insufficient for the steeply graded sections of the line with one unit running away approaching Cercedilla, being brought under control just in time. They were gradually replaced by MTM Class 442 units between 1976 and 1982.

In 1967 the line acquired a Stadler diesel shunter, fitted with a rotary snowplough, for engineering use on the line. Initially numbered 111 it was renumbered 300-111-2.

On May 6, 2024, the line was closed to undertake comprehensive renovation works that will last an estimated one year. The closure of the infrastructure was used to carry out the withdrawal of the 442 Series, which will be replaced by new trains purchased in 2020.

Preservation

The original Swiss railcar, CN1, is preserved at Cercedilla. A railcar and trailer, CN2 and CNR1, have been preserved at the railway museum in Madrid.

Route

Line C-9's route begins at on the Madrid-Segovia railway line, approximately northwest of Madrid. From this station at an altitude of approximately above sea level, the line slowly climbs up the southern slopes of Siete Picos through Fuenfría Valley until it reaches at an altitude . From here, the railway line crosses the drainage divide of the Guadarrama Mountains and enters Valsaín Valley in Segovia Province. After a gradual climb, the line reaches its terminus of with a peak elevation of above sea level. The total gain in elevation of the line is .

Stations

Gallery

Cercedilla.JPG, Route terminus in Cercedilla
Estación_Puerto_de_Navacerrada._(21009668501).jpg, Navacerrada Pass Station
Vías de la Línea C-9.JPG, Line C-9 passing through pine forest below Siete Picos

References

Cercanías Madrid
Metre-gauge railways in Spain

External links

{{commons