(*) The stations and kilometers in common for all the all count just as one, as the route between the stations of San Inazio and 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....

 are the same for lines line 2 and line 1 with 10'39 km and 12 stations in common.

Extensions to Line 1

A new station in the municipality

Municipalities of Spain

The municipalities of Spain In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. municipi.*Galician or , sing. municipio/bisbarra.*Basque , sing. udalerria. are the basic level of Spanish local government...

 of Getxo

Getxo

Getxo is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.It is part of the metropolitan area of Bilbao , and has about 83,000 inhabitants...

 called "Ibarbengoa-Getxo" was expected to be open in 2010, but was delayed until early 2012. It is also expected to bury the level crossings located in Maidagan and Urduliz.

Extensions to Line 2

In 2012 the line will be expanded from Santurtzi station (current terminus) to a new station in Kabiezes

Kabiezes (Metro Bilbao)

Kabiezes will be a future station of Metro Bilbao. It will be the north-western terminus of the Line 2 and it is already in construction. The station will be located in the neighborhood of Kabiezes, in the municipality of Santurtzi, in the Greater Bilbao area...

. This new station would be the last station of Line 2.

It is not expected to expand the line further from Kabiezes, despite the requests of the neighbors of the Mining Zone and Ortuella, where the parking area of the Metro units will be located.

Extensions to common line (Lines 1 and 2)

In November

November

November is the 11th month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of four months with the length of 30 days. November was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar...

 2011 a new station in Basauri

Basauri

Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...

 after current terminus Ariz is expected to be opened. The new station will be located at the southern end of lines 1 and 2. The original network layout for those lines will be finished once this station is opened.

In 2011 the metro will reach Ariz and Basauri

Basauri

Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...

, at the end of the common line that forms Line 1 and 2 (Ariz and Basauri are located before 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....

, where the terminal station is currently located). The original Metro layout for Lines 1 and 2 will be finished when those stations are opened.

Basauri

Basauri

Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...

's town hall, along with the neighbouring towns, requested the construction of another station in Basauri

Basauri

Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...

, in the neighborhood of Sarratu. That station would work as an interchange station for different means of transportation. In the last months of 2009, Metro Bilbao announced that it would consider the creation of that station in Basauri, as it would work as an intermodal station for the services of 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...

; FEVE

FEVE

FEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...

 (which only has cargo

Cargo

Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...

 services in that location); and even with Line 5 of the metro.

Line 3 construction

The definitive layout of Line 3 of Metro Bilbao has seven stations, in place of the six originally planned (Matiko Station was not included in the first layouts). The line will start working and will be opened to the public in 2013, as construction started in the summer of 2009. It will cost 153 millon euros. and will transport 71,000 people according to Bilbao council. The new line will have a length of 5,885 meters and will have one station in 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....

: San Antonio Station, and six stations 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...

: Otxarkoaga, Txurdinaga, Zurbaranbarri, Casco Viejo, Uribarri and Matiko.

In a second phase, the line will be expanded to Bilbao Airport

Bilbao Airport

Bilbao Airport is a public airport located north of Bilbao, in the municipality of Loiu, in the Basque Country. It is the most important airport of the Basque Country and northern Spain, with 4,172,903 passengers on 2008...

, using a tunnel of double rail and with a length of 1,875 meters under Mount Artxanda.

Criticism

The Line 3 project has been heavily criticized by the people of Bilbao and opposition political parties. The main reason was the marginality of the layout, as the line does not cross the river or reach the district of Rekalde

Rekalde

Rekalde is the seventh district of Bilbao, Spain. It is divided into the following neighbourhoods: Ametzola, Iralabarri, Iturrigorri-Peñascal, Rekaldeberri-Larraskitu and Uretamendi....

, as it was expected at first, and between the stations of San Antonio and Matiko, the line runs parallel to Line 1 and Line 2, existing one connection station in Casco Viejo.

The fact that the operating company will be 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 not Metro Bilbao also raised criticism, as this company has lower quality standards and has less frequent interurban services. It is feared that the train traffic (from 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...

) coming from San Sebastián

San Sebastián

Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...

, Bermeo

Bermeo

Bermeo is a town and municipality in the sub-region of Busturialdea and the wider province of Biscay, part of the autonomous region of the Basque Country, in Northern Spain. Bermeo has 17,026 inhabitants and is the most important fishing port of the Basque Country. The town was founded in 1236 and...

 and Durango makes good quality service more difficult, as in the beginning there will be only two rail tracks

Rail tracks

The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...

 in most of the route; those two rail tracks will have to deal with the metro services and the regional ones. However, 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...

 has announced that the train frequency in Line 3 will be five minutes, the same as in the rest of the Metro lines. It would then be a new part of 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...

 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...

, but with schedules and services more characteristic of rapid transit

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

.

Line 4 project (On studies)

The preliminary layout of the future Line 4 (Moyúa

Moyúa

Moyúa or Elliptic square is a public square located in the center of Bilbao's extension, in the district of Abando. The square was conceived in 1876 as a central hub in the middle of Gran Vía de Don Diego López de Haro avenue, from where the main eight streets depart in radius-like shape and was...

 / Rekalde

Rekalde

Rekalde is the seventh district of Bilbao, Spain. It is divided into the following neighbourhoods: Ametzola, Iralabarri, Iturrigorri-Peñascal, Rekaldeberri-Larraskitu and Uretamendi....

) was presented on January 25, 2008. The preliminary layout suggests that Moyúa Station, which currently gives service to Line 1 and Line 2, will connect with Rekalde

Rekalde

Rekalde is the seventh district of Bilbao, Spain. It is divided into the following neighbourhoods: Ametzola, Iralabarri, Iturrigorri-Peñascal, Rekaldeberri-Larraskitu and Uretamendi....

 with two intermediate stations: Zabalburu (which currently has a suburban rail station

Cercanías

Cercanías is the name given to the commuter rail systems of Spain's major metropolitan areas. In Catalonia and Valencia, however, the term is replaced by Rodalies , while the designation Aldirikoak is used in the Basque Country....

) and Irala. There were previous discussions about the ramifications of whether to connect with either Moyúa Station or Bilbao Abando Station

Bilbao-Abando

Estación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, also known as Bilbao-Abando and locally named as Estación del Norte is a railway terminal station located on Abando, the sixth district of Bilbao. It is the main and most important train station of Bilbao...

, this is due to the fact that Rekalde did not have a Metro connection. Line 3 was originally planned to connect Rekalde with the rest of the city, but the final plan moved the line in another direction.

The plan to add Rekalde to Line 3 was halted, and the route completely altered. This change was criticised, specially by people from Rekalde. In 2009 a new layout for a new line (Line 4) was considered; this new line would connect Rekalde with Moyúa and the latter station with Deusto

Deusto

Deusto or Deustu is a district of the city of Bilbao, in the Spanish Basque Country on the right bank of the Estuary of Bilbao. It includes the neighbourhoods of San Inazio, Zorrotzaurre, Ibarrekolanda, Elorrieta, Arangoiti and Deusto proper, with a total population of over 52,000. It used to be a...

, taking advantage of the rail tracks of 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...

, that are currently in that zone. Matiko Station would be connected too. The line would then have the Plaza Euskadi Station ("Euskadi Square Station") after Moyúa and then cross the river to Deusto

Deusto

Deusto or Deustu is a district of the city of Bilbao, in the Spanish Basque Country on the right bank of the Estuary of Bilbao. It includes the neighbourhoods of San Inazio, Zorrotzaurre, Ibarrekolanda, Elorrieta, Arangoiti and Deusto proper, with a total population of over 52,000. It used to be a...

 (Deusto Station) and a new station in the University of Deusto

University of Deusto

The University of Deusto is a Spanish Jesuit University, with campuses in Bilbao and San Sebastián, Spain.-History:The University of Deusto first opened in 1886, having been founded because of the Basque Country's desire to have its own university and the Society of Jesus's wish to move its School...

 campus (Unibersitatea), to then finally reach Matiko (Line 3).

Line 5 project (under consideration)

Also on January 25, 2008, the preliminary layout for Line 5 (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....

 / Usansolo

Usansolo

Usansolo is a neighbourhood located in the east side of Galdakao , 2 km away from the town center. With few baserris, its population began rising after the railway station was built in 19th century, when flats started being built. It has 3,696 inhabitants as of 2005. Due to its distance from...

) was presented. This new line would connect Etxebarri with Galdakao

Galdakao

Galdakao is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain.It is located in the Greater Bilbao, in the valley of the Ibaizabal river, near the Ganguren mountain range...

. At first it was only planned for the line to have five stations, however the line is still on studies and may suffer major modifications. Later, one more station was added, on the Bengoetxe neighborhood on Galdakao. The line will start being constructed in 2012 and is expected to be finished in 2016

The stations on the preliminary layout are Etxebarri (which currently gives service to Line 2 and Line 1), Aperribai, Bengoetxe, Galdakao, Galdakao's Hospital, and Usansolo, where the metro will be connected with lines 1, 1d and 3 from 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...

, which currently operate in that station.

Once the line is finished, there are plans for the line to become an extension of Line 2 from Etxebarri Station, while Line 1 would reach the center of Basauri

Basauri

Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain.The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. It is an industrial town that also includes monuments such as the tower-house of Ariz. It...

.

Lines and stations

Stations
L1	L2	L3 (under construction)
	Basauri Basauri (Metro Bilbao) Basauri is the south-eastern terminus of Line 2 of Metro Bilbao. The station before is Ariz. Basauri station is located in the municipality of the same name, in the Greater Bilbao area. It is one of the two stations located in this municiaplity, the other one being Ariz...
	Ariz
Etxebarri	Etxebarri	Etxebarri-North
Bolueta Bolueta Station Bolueta station, commonly known simply as Bolueta is a railway station serving the commuter rail and regional rail services of EuskoTren and also the rapid transit system Metro Bilbao. It is located in the neighborhood of Bolueta and district of Begoña, south-eastern Bilbao. In total, five...	Bolueta Bolueta Station Bolueta station, commonly known simply as Bolueta is a railway station serving the commuter rail and regional rail services of EuskoTren and also the rapid transit system Metro Bilbao. It is located in the neighborhood of Bolueta and district of Begoña, south-eastern Bilbao. In total, five...	Otxarkoaga
Basarrate	Basarrate	Txurdinaga
Santutxu	Santutxu	Zurbaranbarri
Casco Viejo Casco Viejo Station Casco Viejo Station, also known as Zazpi Kaleak Station is a railway station located in the historial neighborhood of Casco Viejo, in the district of Ibaiondo, Bilbao. It serves the commuter rail services of EuskoTren and rapid transit sytem of Metro Bilbao...	Casco Viejo Casco Viejo Station Casco Viejo Station, also known as Zazpi Kaleak Station is a railway station located in the historial neighborhood of Casco Viejo, in the district of Ibaiondo, Bilbao. It serves the commuter rail services of EuskoTren and rapid transit sytem of Metro Bilbao...	Casco Viejo Casco Viejo Station Casco Viejo Station, also known as Zazpi Kaleak Station is a railway station located in the historial neighborhood of Casco Viejo, in the district of Ibaiondo, Bilbao. It serves the commuter rail services of EuskoTren and rapid transit sytem of Metro Bilbao...
Abando Bilbao-Abando Estación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, also known as Bilbao-Abando and locally named as Estación del Norte is a railway terminal station located on Abando, the sixth district of Bilbao. It is the main and most important train station of Bilbao...	Abando Bilbao-Abando Estación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, also known as Bilbao-Abando and locally named as Estación del Norte is a railway terminal station located on Abando, the sixth district of Bilbao. It is the main and most important train station of Bilbao...	Uribarri
Moyua	Moyua	Matiko
Indautxu	Indautxu
San Mames San Mames Station San Mames Station or San Mamés is an intermodal railway station located in the neighborhood of Garellano in the district of Basurto-Zorrotza in the city of Bilbao...	San Mames San Mames Station San Mames Station or San Mamés is an intermodal railway station located in the neighborhood of Garellano in the district of Basurto-Zorrotza in the city of Bilbao...
Deusto	Deusto
Sarriko	Sarriko
San Inazio	San Inazio
Lutxana	Gurutzeta/Cruces
Erandio	Ansio
Astrabudua	Barakaldo
Leioa	Bagatza
Lamiako	Urbinaga
Areeta	Sestao
Gobela	Abatxolo
Neguri	Portugalete
Aiboa	Peñota
Algorta	Santurtzi	Santurtzi
Bidezabal Bidezabal Station Bidezabal is a station of the Line 1 of Metro Bilbao. It is located in the neighborhood of Bidezabal, in the municipality of Getxo, in the Greater Bilbao area. This station works as a terminus station for the services only covering municipalities inside the Greater Bilbao area...	Kabiezes Kabiezes (Metro Bilbao) Kabiezes will be a future station of Metro Bilbao. It will be the north-western terminus of the Line 2 and it is already in construction. The station will be located in the neighborhood of Kabiezes, in the municipality of Santurtzi, in the Greater Bilbao area...	Mamariga Mamariga (Metro Bilbao) Mamariga is the northern terminus of the Mamariga shuttle, an extension of the Line 2 of Metro Bilbao. It is located in the neighborhood of Mamariga, in the municipality of Santurtzi, in the Greater Bilbao area. The station before is Santurtzi. It was opened on September 3, 2010 along with the...
Ibarbengoa-Getxo
Berango
Larrabasterra
Sopelana
Urduliz
Plentzia

(under construction)
(on studies)
(on studies)

Zones

The Metro Bilbao network is divided into the following fare zones:

• Zone A (Bilbao), from Bolueta
  Bolueta Station
  Bolueta station, commonly known simply as Bolueta is a railway station serving the commuter rail and regional rail services of EuskoTren and also the rapid transit system Metro Bilbao. It is located in the neighborhood of Bolueta and district of Begoña, south-eastern Bilbao. In total, five...
  
   (main line for L1 and L2) to San Inazio (main line for L1 and L2), both stations included.
• Zone B0 (Upper Nervion), Etxebarri and Ariz (main line for L1 and L2).
• Zone B1 (Right Bank of the river), from Lutxana (Line 1) to Berango (Line 1), both stations included.
• Zone B2 (Left Bank of the river), from Gurutzeta/Cruces (Line 2) to Santurtzi (Line 2), both stations included.
• Zone C (Uribe Kosta), from Larrabasterra (Line 1) to Plentzia (Line 1), both stations included.

Cards

Metro Bilbao offers special cards that are personal and cannot be transferred, with a time limit of 5 years since the date of expedition. They can be obtained on any of the customer attention offices of Metro Bilbso (located in the stations of Ansio, Casco Viejo, San Inazio and Areeta).

• Carnet Kidea Socio (Kidea Member Card): To use with mensual tickets and Super 50 tickets.
• Carnet Gaztea Joven (Youth Gaztea Card): To use with the young ticket, mensual ticket and Super 50 tickets.
• Carnet Hirukotrans (Hirukotrans Card): To use with the Hirukotrans ticket.
• Carnet Gizatrans (Gizatrans Card): To use with Gizatrans ticket.
• Carnet Gizatrans para familia numerosa (Gizatrans card for big families): To use with Gizatrans ticket for big families.

Tickets and fares

The ticket system is closed, that means that a validation of the ticket is required when entering to the station and again when exiting.

There are different kind of tickets, each of them has a different fare (updated as 2009):

Metro Bilbao exclusive use

• Occasional ticket: One way ticket. Can be transferred. Fares: 1 Zone: 1,40€; 2 Zones: 1,50€; 3 Zones: 1,60€
• Round trip ticket: Valid for two trips (going and coming back). Can be transferred. Fares: 1 Zone: 2,80€; 2 Zones: 3€; 3 Zones: 3,20€
• Billete Día (Day Ticket): Unlimited trips the same day of the expedition of the ticket. Can be transferred. Fare: 4€ (valid in all zones).
• Billete Mensual (Mensual Ticket): Unlimited trips in 30 days. Personal and cannot be transferred. A "Carnet Joven" (Youth Card), "Carnet de Socio del Metro" (Metro Honorary Member Card) or "Carnet Plus" (Plus Card) is required to obtain this ticket. Fare: 1 Zone: 29,40€; 2 Zones: 35€; 3 Zones: 40,70€
• Ticket Joven (Youth Ticket): Unlimited trips in 12 months. Personal and cannot be transferred. To obtain one is needed to have less than 26 years and a Youth Card. Fares: 1 Zone: 188€; 2 Zones: 221€; 3 Zones: 255€
• Super 50: Valid for 50 trips, to be made in 30 days. Personal cand cannot be transferred. A "Carnet Joven" (Youth Card), "Carnet de Socio del Metro" (Metro Honorary Member Card) or "Carnet Plus" (Plus Card) is required to obtain this ticket. Fares: 1 Zone: 24,50€; 2 Zones: 29€; 3 Zones: 32,50€
• Billete colectivo (Groupal ticket): Valid for one trip or round trip, to be made on a specific date. Only for groups of 20 people or more. Fare: Variable.

Combined tickets

• Combined ticket with Renfe (Uria): Valid for 10 trips. Can be transferred. Can be obtained in Abando Station
  Bilbao-Abando
  Estación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, also known as Bilbao-Abando and locally named as Estación del Norte is a railway terminal station located on Abando, the sixth district of Bilbao. It is the main and most important train station of Bilbao...
  
   and San Mames Station. The Uria ticket can be used in the following stations: Metro Bilbao: Zone A. Cercanías
  Cercanías
  Cercanías is the name given to the commuter rail systems of Spain's major metropolitan areas. In Catalonia and Valencia, however, the term is replaced by Rodalies , while the designation Aldirikoak is used in the Basque Country....
  
  : Bilbao-Abando
  Bilbao-Abando
  Estación de Abando Indalecio Prieto, also known as Bilbao-Abando and locally named as Estación del Norte is a railway terminal station located on Abando, the sixth district of Bilbao. It is the main and most important train station of Bilbao...
  
  , Zabalburu Station, Ametzola Station, Autonomía Station, San Mamés Station, Olabeaga Station, Zorrotza Station, Miribilla Station and La Peña Station. The change between Renfe and Metro should be of 20 minutes or less. Fare: 9,65€.

• Combined ticket with EuskoTren. Valid for 10 trips, monthly or annual. Valid in the stations of Casco Viejo and Bolueta. The change between EuskoTren and Metro should be of 15 minutes or less.

Creditrans tickets

• Creditrans
  Creditrans
  Creditrans is a travel card used to travel around Biscay, in the Basque Country . The card is the most popular ticket in the area, used by over 100 million passengers in 2007.-History:...
  
  . Valid for as many trips as the money charge (pre-paid) of the card supports. Can be transferred and used several times in the same trip. Creditrans is a pre-paid card that can be used in Metro 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...
  
  , 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 -...
  
  , FEVE
  FEVE
  FEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...
  
  , Bilbobus
  Bilbobus
  Bilbobus is the name for metropolitan bus services in Bilbao.The service is owned by the city council of Bilbao. Operations will be transferred to Veolia Transport, the company that won the contract in May 2008...
  
  , Bizkaibus
  BizkaiBus
  BizkaiBus is the name for bus services serving the province of Biscay, Spain. It is named after the Basque name of the province, Bizkaia. The buses can be identified by their distinctive yellow colour scheme....
  
  , Artxanda Funicular
  Artxanda Funicular
  The Artxanda Funicular is a funicular railway in the city of Bilbao in Spain's Basque Country. It links downtown Bilbao with the recreational area at the summit of the nearby Artxanda Mountain, which has a park, several restaurants, a hotel, a sports complex, and offers panoramic views of the...
  
  , Vizcaya Bridge, Lujua's Bus, Etxebarri Bus and Sopelbus. Fares: 1 Zone: 0,69€; 2 Zones: 0,83€; 3 Zones: 0,93€. Creditrans is currently the most popular and most used ticket system on Metro Bilbao and some other transporations systems.
• Gizatrans (only valid for people older than 65 or some kind of physical disadvantage). Personal and cannot be transferred. It can be used in the same places as Creditrans with the exceptions of Sopelbus, FEVE
  FEVE
  FEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...
  
   and Vizcaya Bridge. Prince (of a single Gizatrans card): 3€. Fares (for Metro Bilbao): 0,27€ (valid on all zones).
• Hirukotrans (big families). Personal and cannot be transferred. To obtain one is needed to have a Hirukotrans Card. Only available for big families.

Schedules and frequencies

The Metro network works from 6:00am until 11:00pm from Monday to Thursday, and until 2:00am on Friday and days before festive days. There is an all night service from Saturday to Sunday, with trains each 15 minutes on the main lines and with a 30-minute frequency on the other lines. On months of June, July, August and September, the no-interruptions night service also works on Fridays. During "Bilbao's Great Week", there are special services every night.

During weekdays, there is a frequency of 2.5 minutes on Zone A, 5 minutes on Zone B.0, B.1 y B.2 and 18 minutes on Zone C during most of the day.

Ridership

In 2007 Metro Bilbao was used by almost 86 million people, being the third most used metro in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. Since it serves directly about 680,000 people, each citizen travels about 126 times a year. Ridership increases steadily every year, there are some dramatic increases in 1998 and 2002 due to enlargement of the network, ridership is expected to reach 100 million people per year once the network is completed.

Busiest stations in 2007

• Abando – 6,786,616 passengers
• Casco Viejo – 6,554,028 passengers
• Moyua – 6,342,798 passengers
• Indautxu – 6,195,720 passengers
• San Mames – 5,769,908 passengers

Design

Access to the metro is provided by 'fosteritos', glass

Glass

Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...

 structures affectionately named after the architect who designed them, Norman Foster

Norman Foster

Norman Foster or Norm Foster may refer to:* Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank , English architect and designer* Norman Foster * Norman Foster , U.S...

. These modern-looking tunnels stand attractive alongside the modern and innovative interior of the stations.

Large caverns of a 160m² cross section were dug for stations, creating large open spaces, as opposed to the traditional sets of linked tunnels. For example the ticket line is in the same space as the trains, for this purpose steel structures called 'mezzanines' have been built over the tracks. Trains are fully accessible by lifts and escalators. Materials such as steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 and concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 have been used throughout.
Sarriko station won the 1998 Brunel Award

Brunel Award

The Brunel Awards are given to railway companies, to encourage outstanding visual design in railway architecture, graphics, industrial design and art, technical infrastructure and environmental integration, and rolling stock...

 for Railway Design. It is noticeably different from the rest of the stations in the network: in place of the standard 'fosterito', a vast glazed atrium pours natural light into the entire station, and the long, unbroken escalator ride to the ticket hall from street level gives a dramatic sense of character to the station.

Away from the main structures, the design company Akaba created the seating systems for the Metro, which subsequently won the Spanish National Industrial Design Prize from the Ministry of Science and Technology in November 2000. A distinctive signage system was created by Otl Aicher, which are responsible for the eye-catching masts bearing the Metro logo

Logo

A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...

. The principal colours used are of white lettering on a red background for key information and black lettering for secondary details.

Trains

The Metro Bilbao uses presently train types of the series UT-500 and UT-550, built by CAF

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...

. The company uses 24 trains of the first series and thirteen of the second. All vehicles are maintained and parked in Sopelana

Sopelana

Sopelana is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain....

 and Ariz.

The first sixteen vehicles which carry the numbers UT 501 to 516 were delivered by CAF and ABB in November 1995. Inside each car 2+2 seats are arranged respectively vis-à-vis in the colors of the Corporate design – red and grey –. A set of four cars is altogether 72.12 meters long, 3.85 meters high and 2.80 meters wide. That's specially wide for a train that uses narrow gauge, for example vehicles of the large profile Berlin metro

Berlin U-Bahn

The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...

 are only 2.65 meters wide, and they use the normal gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 of 1435 millimeters.

The trains use, like the commuter railroads in the region, the overhead tension of 1500 volt

Volt

The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...

s and possess altogether sixteen motors of respectively 180 kilowatts; together that yields 2880 kilowatts per train unit. The maximum speed is 80 kilometers per hour. A train can carry 712 persons. This statement is based upon 144 seats and 568 standing on the average six persons per square meter.

The number of trains was increased after a renewed order in 1996 to a total of 24 trains with the numbers UT 517 until 524. For the higher requirement in the newly constructed line 2, thirteen new trains were ordered to the firms CAF and Adtranz

Adtranz

ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....

 (now mother company of ABB) and they were delivered in October 2001. The last delivery contained now the new trains of the series UT-550. This series differs from its predecessor in a higher efficiency, needed to climb the deep line 2 tunnel under the river, and an improved air-conditioning.

Since 1998 the ATP system is used (automatic train protection

Automatic Train Protection

Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...

), as well as ATO (automatic train operation

Automatic train operation

Automatic train operation ensures partial or complete automatic train piloting and driverless functions.Most systems elect to maintain a driver to mitigate risks associated with failures or emergencies....

) installed. The latter implies that the train drivers must press solely a button, and the remainder of the train operation is done through the computer. This is to be seen as an initial stage for a system gone completely controlled by the computer

External links

• Metro Bilbao website
• Metro Bilbao – urbanrail.net

See also

• Barcelona Metro
  Barcelona Metro
  The Barcelona Metro , part of the public transportation system of Barcelona, Catalonia, is an extensive network of electrified railways that run underground in central Barcelona and above ground into the city's suburbs. Since July 31, 2010, Barcelona Metro system consists of 11 lines with 165...
  
  
• Madrid Metro
  Madrid Metro
  The Madrid Metro is a metro system serving the city of Madrid, capital of Spain. The system is the sixth longest metro in the world though Madrid is approximately the fiftieth most populous metropolitan area in the world...
  
  
• Valencia Metro
• List of metro systems