Service frequencies

As of October 2011, there are the typical service frequencies for each line:

• Line C-1 - One train per hour early in the mornings and late at nights; two trains per hour (each 30 minutes) at peak times.
• Line C-2 - From two to three trains per hour at early time in the morning and at late nights; trains each 20 minutes at peak times.
• Line C-3 - Two trains per hour early in the mornings at late at nights; up to three trains per hour at peak times.

Stations

Cercanías Bilbao serves the following stations:

Line C-1	Line C-2	Line C-3
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...   Zabalburu Ametzola Autonomia 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...   Olabeaga Zorrotza Lutxana-Barakaldo Barakaldo Sestao La Iberia Portugalete Peñota Santurtzi	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...   Zabalburu Ametzola Autonomia 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...   Olabeaga Zorrotza Lutxana-Barakaldo Barakaldo Galindo Trapaga Valle de Trapaga-Trapagarán Urioste Sagrada Familia Ortuella Gallarta Putxela Muskiz	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...   Miribilla La Peña Ollargan Bidebieta-Basauri Basauri Abaroa-San Miguel Arrigorriaga Ugao-Miraballes Bakiola Arrakundiaga Arbide Arakaldo Areta Llodio Luiando Salbio Amurrio Iñarratxu Orduña

Rolling stock

The rolling stock

Rolling stock

Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...

 consists of UT 446 electrical multiple units 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...

, each one formed by three cars.

Developments

These are the recent projects that have been developed or will be started in the network.

Southern rail branch (C-1 and C-2)

In year 2000 the network was renewed by the public company Bilbao Ria 2000, several new underground stations were opened in the city of Bilbao, a project that was called Southern rail branch (Variante sur ferroviaria).

This change implied the closing of Parke/Guggenheim and Bilbao-La Naja stations, on the line that run beside the river before that date. This cleared ground for the creation of new riverside avenues and the tramway

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 -...

. The tracks used for the new branch were used before for freight transport, these tracks were covered and a new avenue and the park of Ametzola were created on top of them. The stations on the new branch are:

• San Mamés
• Autonomía
• Ametzola
• Zabalburu

The former Bilbao-La Naja terminal station gave way to Bilbao-Abando, where C1 and C2 services arrive and depart now. Formerly this station was used only by C3 and long distance services, to cope with the increase of traffic two new covered platforms were added to the station, increasing the number of platforms from six to eight. The remains of Bilbao-La Naja station can still be seen beside the Arenal bridge.

The Ametzola area was a rail yard

Rail yard

A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....

, that was dismantled to create new parks and residential areas.

Santurtzi station (C-1)

The new Santurtzi station was built close to the old one by Bilbao Ria 2000 and inaugurated on July 10, 2003. The space that the old station occupied is used now as a parking lot, but will be renewed to extend the nearby park.

Miribilla station (C-3)

This station was opened on December 16, 2008 and links the newly developed neighbourhoods with central Bilbao. This is Spain's deepest underground station, the access to the platforms is provided by high capacity lifts.

Amurrio Iparralde station (C-3)

Works have started in the new Iparralde station, in the town of Amurrio.

Barakaldo station (C-1/C-2)

This station will be renewed, 200 m of tracks will be covered, improving the newly developed neighbourhoods of Barakaldo.

Portugalete station (C-1)

This station will be covered, a mall will be created on top of it and lifts will provide access from central Portugalete.

Vizcaya Bridge station (C-1)

There is a proposal to build this underground station, intermediate between Portugalete and Peñota stations, that would provide a direct link to Vizcaya Bridge.

External links

• Renfe website