Platja de Castelldefels railway station
Encyclopedia
Platja de Castelldefels railway station is a small stop on the Rodalies Barcelona
R2 line
serving the beach district of Castelldefels
(about 2 km south of the main town), approximately 17 minutes by train from Barcelona Sants
Station. It is less than 200 metres from the beach, and is very busy during the summer months but almost deserted in winter.
The station has two 200 m-long platforms connected by a footbridge and, since November 2009, an underpass. Trains arriving from Barcelona stop at platform 1, on the opposite side of the railway tracks from the beach. There have been several accidents caused by passengers directly crossing the tracks rather than using the footbridge. A 19-year old woman was killed by an on-coming train while crossing the tracks on 4 March 2009. On the evening of 23 June 2010, the station was the site of the Castelldefels train accident
in which 13 people were killed and 14 people were injured when an Alaris
intercity train from Alicante
to Barcelona
ploughed into a large group of people who were crossing the lines.
The only trains that stop at the station are those of the local services of Rodalies Barcelona
. Medium-distance services from Barcelona to Tarragona
and Tortosa
, and long-distance services to Valencia and Alicante
, also pass through the station. These non-stopping trains can pass through the station at speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour (94 mph).
The safety of the station, particularly the problems of allowing large numbers of passengers to leave the station, was criticized after its refurbishment in 2009 by members of Castelldefels town council. In November 2009, one council member, Àngels Coté said "on St. John's Eve
[the night of 23 June, a major celebration in Catalonia] it could become a rat trap [una ratera], and the months of July and August as well." The town council also had official discussions on the subject with Adif
, the state company responsible for railway infrastructure in Spain. However, it is clear that the passengers crossing the tracks could have used a bridge that is situated at one end of the platformhttp://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=41%C2%B0+16%E2%80%B2+1.02%E2%80%B3+N,+1%C2%B0+57%E2%80%B2+25.61%E2%80%B3+E&sll=41.262413,1.930257&sspn=0.007452,0.013057&ie=UTF8&ll=41.267203,1.957122&spn=0,0.006528&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.267241,1.957466&panoid=lJM3-UaAv8L15STrERhIMw&cbp=12,239.61,,1,2.11, even if this would have involved a short additional walk.
Rodalies Barcelona
Rodalies Barcelona is the commuter rail service that serves Barcelona, and its metropolitan area as well as other parts of the province.Rodalies Barcelona is made up of 13 lines, 6 of which are operated by the Spanish company RENFE and 7 by Generalitat-owned FGC. The whole network—and fare...
R2 line
Rodalies Barcelona line 2
Rodalies Barcelona line 2 is a commuter rail operated by Renfe, as a service of Rodalies Barcelona in Barcelona metropolitan area, Catalonia, Spain. That line is known as Coast line in its south part...
serving the beach district of Castelldefels
Castelldefels
Castelldefels is a town in the Baix Llobregat comarca, in the province of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain and part of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. Its population is 63.151 .-Geography and location:...
(about 2 km south of the main town), approximately 17 minutes by train from Barcelona Sants
Barcelona Sants railway station
Barcelona Sants railway station or Sants Estació is the main railway station in Barcelona, owned by Adif, the railway infrastructure agency of the Spanish state...
Station. It is less than 200 metres from the beach, and is very busy during the summer months but almost deserted in winter.
The station has two 200 m-long platforms connected by a footbridge and, since November 2009, an underpass. Trains arriving from Barcelona stop at platform 1, on the opposite side of the railway tracks from the beach. There have been several accidents caused by passengers directly crossing the tracks rather than using the footbridge. A 19-year old woman was killed by an on-coming train while crossing the tracks on 4 March 2009. On the evening of 23 June 2010, the station was the site of the Castelldefels train accident
Castelldefels train accident
The Castelldefels train accident occurred on 23 June 2010 when a passenger train struck a group of people who were crossing the railway on the level at Platja de Castelldefels station near Barcelona, in Catalonia in northern Spain...
in which 13 people were killed and 14 people were injured when an Alaris
Alaris
Alaris is the brand name of the regional rail network run by the Spanish national rail company RENFE that connects the major cities of Madrid and Valencia, and Barcelona and the main cities of the Valencian community...
intercity train from Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
ploughed into a large group of people who were crossing the lines.
The only trains that stop at the station are those of the local services of Rodalies Barcelona
Rodalies Barcelona
Rodalies Barcelona is the commuter rail service that serves Barcelona, and its metropolitan area as well as other parts of the province.Rodalies Barcelona is made up of 13 lines, 6 of which are operated by the Spanish company RENFE and 7 by Generalitat-owned FGC. The whole network—and fare...
. Medium-distance services from Barcelona to Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
and Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
, and long-distance services to Valencia and Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, also pass through the station. These non-stopping trains can pass through the station at speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour (94 mph).
The safety of the station, particularly the problems of allowing large numbers of passengers to leave the station, was criticized after its refurbishment in 2009 by members of Castelldefels town council. In November 2009, one council member, Àngels Coté said "on St. John's Eve
St. John's Eve
The evening of June 23, St John's Eve, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of St John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke states that John was born about six months before Jesus, therefore the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on June 21~24, six months before Christmas...
[the night of 23 June, a major celebration in Catalonia] it could become a rat trap [una ratera], and the months of July and August as well." The town council also had official discussions on the subject with Adif
Adif
Adif, an acronym of Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias, is a Spanish state-owned company under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, charged with the management of most of Spain's railway infrastructure, that is the track, signalling and stations...
, the state company responsible for railway infrastructure in Spain. However, it is clear that the passengers crossing the tracks could have used a bridge that is situated at one end of the platformhttp://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=41%C2%B0+16%E2%80%B2+1.02%E2%80%B3+N,+1%C2%B0+57%E2%80%B2+25.61%E2%80%B3+E&sll=41.262413,1.930257&sspn=0.007452,0.013057&ie=UTF8&ll=41.267203,1.957122&spn=0,0.006528&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.267241,1.957466&panoid=lJM3-UaAv8L15STrERhIMw&cbp=12,239.61,,1,2.11, even if this would have involved a short additional walk.