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Barcelona Metro
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The Barcelona Metro, part of the mass transit public transport system of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain is an extensive network of electrified railways that run underground in central Barcelona and above ground into the city's suburbs. Including the two lines which are currently under construction, the network is made up of 11 lines with 209 stations, with a total route length of 157.51 km. (97.87 miles). Excluding L9 and L10, the current lines make up a total track length of 102.6 km (63.75 miles). There are a few stations that are permanently closed. Since 1997 the network has been part of Autoritat del Transport Metropolitā (ATM). In 2002 it was announced by ATM two additional lines were going to be built in the near future, L12 and L13.
HistoryThe Barcelona Metro was founded in 1924 with the construction of the 'Gran Metro' between Lesseps and the Plaįa de Catalunya, part of the modern line 3. Two years later the 'Metro Transversal' (now part of line 1) was built between the Plaįa de Catalunya and la Bordeta to link the city centre with the Plaįa d'Espanya and Montjuīc, the site of the 1929 Universal Exhibition.
In modern times the network consists of nine lines managed by two different operators: Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), which manages the major underground lines; and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC - Catalan Government Railways), which manages three integrated commuter lines running out into the extended metropolitan area. Fares are integrated into Autoritat del Transport Metropolitā, a city-wide system that also includes local and regional buses and some regional train services. 98% of its railtracks are subsurface.
LayoutThe metro network proper, operated by TMB, consists of six lines, numbered L1 to L5 and L11, and distinguished on network maps by different colours. FGC lines are numbered L6, L7 and L8. None of the Barcelona Metro lines have a name of their own but they're generally referred to by their number and the names of their termini. They run as follows:
TMB lines
FGC linesThe three metro-like commuter lines operated by the FGC are numbered L6 to L8:
OtherThe Funicular de Montjuīc, a funicular railway, is fare-integrated and listed on maps as part of the metro network, being connected directly to the metro at Paralˇlel station.
In addition to those, Renfe and FGC trains and the increasingly important Trambaix and Trambesōs routes and stations are displayed on most recent maps, including the info maps in the metro stations, all in a single variety of dark green.
Lines 9 and 10Construction work is taking place currently on L9/L10, which will run from Badalona and Santa Coloma to the Zona Franca district and El Prat International Airport. The lines, which will share a central section between Bon Pastor and Torrassa (L1), will be the longest underground metro line in Europe, at 26.6 miles (42.6km), and will have 46 stations. The project was approved in 2000 but has been challenged by some technical difficulties and some of their sections are pending further geological analysis, which of 2007 is the reason for the delay in the construction of some of the mentioned sections, which won't be ready until 2012 or even as late as 2013.
Other linesLines L12 and L13 are two planned additions to the network.
L12 / R3A version of the project for this line, which has been recently given the name of R3, would connect some of the urban area municipalities in Baix Llobregat, such as Esplugues de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí or Sant Just Desvern, more efficiently than the original idea, besides bringing them closer to the capital by optimising connections with the bus, tram and train systems. It's due to be completed in 2015 with a budget of close to 870 million euro.
L13This line would become, along with L11, one of the two underground light-rail lines fully integrated into the network. As is the case with L11, it's intended to provide access to a hilly area of the metropolitan area: the hospital in Can Ruti in Badalona. The original project includes only three stations (which doesn't mean there won't be further additions):
StationsAs of mid 2007, there are currently 150 operational stations in the Barcelona Metro, served by the 9 lines in current use, which will increase to an impressive 209 when lines L9 and L10 are finally completed. The average distance between stations is of 650 metres.
An overwhelming majority of stations in the network lack related buildings or structures aboveground, as opposed to other subway networks as the London Underground, mostly consisting of an access with stairs, escalators and sometimes an elevator. The official TMB metro indicator, a red rhombus with a M inside, isn't still used by FGC lines, which use their company logo and a different rhombus-shaped logo inside stations. Below ground their decoration is remarkably sober, with the exception of a few stations.
Disused stationsA number of stations in the network have been closed, were never inaugurated, or a have been moved to a nearby location. See the main article for more details.
The metro network in 2012| Line | Termini | Opened in | Length in km | Stations |
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| L1 | Hospital de Bellvitge - Badalona Centre | 1926 | 20,72 | 30 | | L2 | Fira 2 - Morera | 1995 | 13,53 | 23 | | L3 | Zona Universitāria - Trinitat Nova | 1924 | 19,22 | 26 | | L4 | Trinitat Nova - Sagrera-Meridiana | 1926 | 18,91 | 25 | | L5 | Cornellā Centre - Vall d'Hebron | 1959 | 19,16 | 27 | | L6 | Pįa Catalunya - Reina Elisenda | 1929 | 5,38 | 9 | | L7 | Pįa Catalunya - Av. Tibidabo | 1954 | 4,63 | 7 | | L8 | Pįa Espanya - Molí Nou-Ciutat Cooperativa | 1912 | 11,26 | 11 | | L9 | Aeroport Terminal Sud - Can Zam | 2012 | 42,6 | 51 | | L10 | Zona Franca - Gorg | 2012 | 42,6 | 51
| | L11 | Trinitat Nova - Can Cuiās | 2003 | 2,1 | 5 | | 157,51 | 209 |
Transportation in the Metropolitan Area of BarcelonaThe Barcelona Metro is part of a larger transportation network, regulated and fare-integrated by Autoritat del Transport Metropolitā. See: , .
Among these services, there are two large systems which operate both inside and outside the city limits of Barcelona: the commuter train lines operated by Renfe, amalgamated in the Rodalies Barcelona, or Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya lines which start in the metro lines the company operates|Valencia Metro]]
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