Line A (EuskoTran)
Encyclopedia
The Line A of EuskoTran
, also known simply as Bilbao's Tram is a tramway system in Bilbao
, Spain
which began operation in December 2002.It is one of the two tram
lines operated by EuskoTran
in the Basque Country
, being the other one the Vitoria's tram. The service is operated by EuskoTran
, part of Eusko Trenbideak
.
Bilbao's Tram, or Line A (map icon ), serves twelve stations, several of them with interchanges and connections with Metro Bilbao
, EuskoTren
and Cercanías Bilbao
. The factor leading its creation was to improve Bilbao's railway network; the tram serves neighborhoods that do not have stations of Metro Bilbao or Cercanías. Also, the tramway's line goes through important turistical and cultural spots, like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
.
brand was born to improve the railway services in Bilbao
, and to serve neighborhoods and areas unattended by Metro Bilbao
or Cercanías Bilbao
. It took 15 years of studies and reaseach to contemplate the need of a tram
or light rail
subway in the city.
The construction of the first phase of the line started on May of 1999. The first six stations were opened on December 18, 2002 by Juan José Ibarretxe
, lehendakari of the Basque Country
at the time. Between 2003 and 2004 four new stations are opened.
In 2008 a proposal for an expansion of the line, with three more stations, is presented. In 2010 the construction of two of the three stations (the last one being ultimately discarded) started.
s are used instead. With the exception of Bilbao-Atxuri Station
, all stops and stations are un-staffed and have automated ticket machines for ticket sales. Once bought, the ticket must be validated on the validation machine located next to the ticket machine. The floor of the stations are virually in level with the one of the trams, so this allows wheelchairs, prams, pushchairs and the elderly to board the tram easily with no steps.
All stations have the Sitran system incorporated. The Sitran system is conformed by screens located at visible parts in every station, each screen gives real-time information about upcoming arrivals and departures, as well as any other information about the tram the passanger may need. The Sitran screens show the expected arrival times for the two upcoming trams, as well as delays, possible problems or any other message the controllers want to display.
and ending in Basurto Station, next to Basurto's Hospital. The first departure from Bilbao-Atxuri is at 6:00am and from Basurto at 6:33am From then, and Monday to Friday, a new tram gets to each station every 10 minutes, less in rush hours and more early in the morning and late in the night. The last tramway departures at Bilbao-Atxuri at 11:05pm and from Basurto at 11:25pm.
The first part of the line, from Bilbao-Atxuri to Pio Baroja Station and again from Sabino Arana Station to Basurto Station, the railtracks go through the streets, on a special lane created for its use. From Pio Baroja to Euskalduna, the tram goes through grassed track.
projected the extension of Line A from current terminus station, Basurto, to Autonomía avenue and the neighborhood of Recalde, but after the Basque Government
change in 2009 it was decided to modify the extension project. Then, in 2010 the construction of two more stations, one in Autonomía and the second one in La Casilla Square (replacing the one in Recelade) started.
and EuskoTran
in Bilbao is Bilbao-Atxuri
. In the future, it is planned for the station to only give service to the tramway network, which could then be extended using the already existent railtracks (currently being used by EuskoTren
) until reaching the future San Antonio Station, located in the municipality of Etxebarri
and where the tram line would be connected with the future Line 3 of Metro Bilbao
.
EuskoTran
EuskoTran is a light rail tram service which operates in the cities of Bilbao , Vitoria and, in the future, in the town of Leioa , all of them in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak -...
, also known simply as Bilbao's Tram is a tramway system in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
which began operation in December 2002.It is one of the two tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines operated by EuskoTran
EuskoTran
EuskoTran is a light rail tram service which operates in the cities of Bilbao , Vitoria and, in the future, in the town of Leioa , all of them in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak -...
in the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, being the other one the Vitoria's tram. The service is operated by EuskoTran
EuskoTran
EuskoTran is a light rail tram service which operates in the cities of Bilbao , Vitoria and, in the future, in the town of Leioa , all of them in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak -...
, part of Eusko Trenbideak
Eusko Trenbideak – Ferrocarriles Vascos
Sociedad Pública Eusko Trenbideak-Ferrocarriles Vascos S.A. is a railway company and public society owned by the Basque Government and established in 1982, which manages several train lines, tram lines and bus services inside the Basque Country in Spain...
.
Bilbao's Tram, or Line A (map icon ), serves twelve stations, several of them with interchanges and connections with Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Its lines have a "Y" shape, with two lines that transit both banks of the Nervión river and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao...
, EuskoTren
EuskoTren
EuskoTren is a commuter rail service which operates in the Basque Country provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak - Ferrocarriles Vascos...
and Cercanías Bilbao
Cercanías Bilbao
Cercanías Bilbao is a commuter rail network in Bilbao, serving the city and its metropolitan area. It is operated by Cercanías, as part of Renfe, the national railway company...
. The factor leading its creation was to improve Bilbao's railway network; the tram serves neighborhoods that do not have stations of Metro Bilbao or Cercanías. Also, the tramway's line goes through important turistical and cultural spots, like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
.
History
The EuskoTranEuskoTran
EuskoTran is a light rail tram service which operates in the cities of Bilbao , Vitoria and, in the future, in the town of Leioa , all of them in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak -...
brand was born to improve the railway services in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, and to serve neighborhoods and areas unattended by Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Its lines have a "Y" shape, with two lines that transit both banks of the Nervión river and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao...
or Cercanías Bilbao
Cercanías Bilbao
Cercanías Bilbao is a commuter rail network in Bilbao, serving the city and its metropolitan area. It is operated by Cercanías, as part of Renfe, the national railway company...
. It took 15 years of studies and reaseach to contemplate the need of a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
or light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
subway in the city.
The construction of the first phase of the line started on May of 1999. The first six stations were opened on December 18, 2002 by Juan José Ibarretxe
Juan José Ibarretxe
Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu is a Basque politician of Spain. A leading member of the Basque Nationalist Party , he was President of Spain's Basque Country autonomous community from January 2, 1999 to May 7, 2009....
, lehendakari of the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
at the time. Between 2003 and 2004 four new stations are opened.
In 2008 a proposal for an expansion of the line, with three more stations, is presented. In 2010 the construction of two of the three stations (the last one being ultimately discarded) started.
Stations
The whole line has currently twelve stations. The tram stops have very low platforms, and in some stations regular sidewalkSidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s are used instead. With the exception of Bilbao-Atxuri Station
Bilbao-Atxuri Station
Bilbao-Atxuri Station, commonly known only as Bilbao-Atxuri or Atxuri Station is a terminal station located in the neighborhood of Atxuri, in the district of Ibaiondo in Bilbao, Spain. The terminal serves commuters traveling on EuskoTren and the tram services of EuskoTran. It is the terminal...
, all stops and stations are un-staffed and have automated ticket machines for ticket sales. Once bought, the ticket must be validated on the validation machine located next to the ticket machine. The floor of the stations are virually in level with the one of the trams, so this allows wheelchairs, prams, pushchairs and the elderly to board the tram easily with no steps.
All stations have the Sitran system incorporated. The Sitran system is conformed by screens located at visible parts in every station, each screen gives real-time information about upcoming arrivals and departures, as well as any other information about the tram the passanger may need. The Sitran screens show the expected arrival times for the two upcoming trams, as well as delays, possible problems or any other message the controllers want to display.
Lines
The network currently has only one line, called "Line A", starting in Bilbao-Atxuri StationBilbao-Atxuri Station
Bilbao-Atxuri Station, commonly known only as Bilbao-Atxuri or Atxuri Station is a terminal station located in the neighborhood of Atxuri, in the district of Ibaiondo in Bilbao, Spain. The terminal serves commuters traveling on EuskoTren and the tram services of EuskoTran. It is the terminal...
and ending in Basurto Station, next to Basurto's Hospital. The first departure from Bilbao-Atxuri is at 6:00am and from Basurto at 6:33am From then, and Monday to Friday, a new tram gets to each station every 10 minutes, less in rush hours and more early in the morning and late in the night. The last tramway departures at Bilbao-Atxuri at 11:05pm and from Basurto at 11:25pm.
The first part of the line, from Bilbao-Atxuri to Pio Baroja Station and again from Sabino Arana Station to Basurto Station, the railtracks go through the streets, on a special lane created for its use. From Pio Baroja to Euskalduna, the tram goes through grassed track.
| Line A |
|---|
Then back to Atxuri-Bilbao |
Autonomía
Eusko TrenbideakEusko Trenbideak – Ferrocarriles Vascos
Sociedad Pública Eusko Trenbideak-Ferrocarriles Vascos S.A. is a railway company and public society owned by the Basque Government and established in 1982, which manages several train lines, tram lines and bus services inside the Basque Country in Spain...
projected the extension of Line A from current terminus station, Basurto, to Autonomía avenue and the neighborhood of Recalde, but after the Basque Government
Basque Government
The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of this government is the lehendakari or Basque president that is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years...
change in 2009 it was decided to modify the extension project. Then, in 2010 the construction of two more stations, one in Autonomía and the second one in La Casilla Square (replacing the one in Recelade) started.
Etxebarri
The current terminus station of both EuskoTrenEuskoTren
EuskoTren is a commuter rail service which operates in the Basque Country provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak - Ferrocarriles Vascos...
and EuskoTran
EuskoTran
EuskoTran is a light rail tram service which operates in the cities of Bilbao , Vitoria and, in the future, in the town of Leioa , all of them in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak -...
in Bilbao is Bilbao-Atxuri
Bilbao-Atxuri Station
Bilbao-Atxuri Station, commonly known only as Bilbao-Atxuri or Atxuri Station is a terminal station located in the neighborhood of Atxuri, in the district of Ibaiondo in Bilbao, Spain. The terminal serves commuters traveling on EuskoTren and the tram services of EuskoTran. It is the terminal...
. In the future, it is planned for the station to only give service to the tramway network, which could then be extended using the already existent railtracks (currently being used by EuskoTren
EuskoTren
EuskoTren is a commuter rail service which operates in the Basque Country provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It is one of the three commercial brands of the public society owned by the Basque Government, Eusko Trenbideak - Ferrocarriles Vascos...
) until reaching the future San Antonio Station, located in the municipality of Etxebarri
Etxebarri
Etxebarri, Doneztebeko Elizatea is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Basque Community, in the North of Spain....
and where the tram line would be connected with the future Line 3 of Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao
Metro Bilbao is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Its lines have a "Y" shape, with two lines that transit both banks of the Nervión river and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao...
.