Igualada (Llobregat–Anoia Line)

Igualada is a railway station on the Llobregat–Anoia Line serving the city of the same name, in Catalonia, Spain. It is located adjacent to the bus station, in the southeastern part of town.^[1] The railway station is the northern terminus of the Igualada line branch and is served by commuter rail lines R6 and R60.

Igualada
FGC commuter rail station
A 213 Series train at the station.
General information
Location	Passeig Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer 08700 Igualada Catalonia Spain
Coordinates	41°34′40.5″N 1°37′48.6″E
Owned by	Government of Catalonia
Operated by	Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC)
Line(s)	Llobregat–Anoia Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Adjacent bus station Urban buses
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	A parking lot is located adjacent to the station, on the south side of it.[1]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	6B (ATM Àrea de Barcelona)[2]
History
Opened	1978 (1978)
Passengers
2013	190,004[a]
Services
Preceding station FGC Following station Terminus R6 Vilanova del Camí towards Barcelona Pl. Espanya R60

Although the current station opened in 1978, a narrow gauge railway line from Martorell, predecessor of the current line, had already been serving the city since 1893. In 2015, it was announced that the current at-grade station is to be put underground together with a 300-metre-long (980 ft) line portion, removing the only level crossing in town.^[4]

History

Originally, it was envisaged that Igualada would be part of the Madrid to Barcelona railway through central Catalonia. This plan, however, was dropped in favour of Manresa, located further north. On 9 July 1893 (1893-07-09), the railway eventually arrived in Igualada in the form of a narrow gauge line from Martorell, built and operated by Ferrocarril Central Catalán ("Catalan Central Railway"), which would later become the current Llobregat–Anoia Line. The original terminus station was located at-grade in the northwestern part of the city. In 1978, the original station was replaced with a new one in the southeastern part of town, resulting in the dismantling of about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of railway lines through the city center, including the removal of several busy level crossings and the demolition of the original station building. The recovered land allowed for the extension of the Passeig Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer boulevard.^[5]

Notes

1. Passenger figures according to recorded annual entries.^[3]

References

1. "Igualada station and surroundings" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
2. Integrated Railway Network (PDF) (Map). Autoritat del Transport Metropolità. June 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
3. Memòria de Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya 2013 [2013 Report of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya] (PDF) (Report) (in Catalan). Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya; Department of Public Works and Transport. Generalitat of Catalonia. 2014. p. 63. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
4. "Generalitat i Ajuntament accorden el projecte de supressió del pas a nivell" [The Catalan Government and the City Council agree on the level crossing removal project] (in Catalan). Igualada City Council. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
5. Farrés Cobeta, Jaume. "Llocs de la ciutat mítica: El Carrilet" [Places in the mythical city: El Carrilet ("The Narrow Gauge Train")]. Joan Llacuna, el poeta d'Igualada (in Catalan). Open University of Catalonia. Retrieved 30 July 2015.

External links

• Media related to Igualada train station at Wikimedia Commons
• Information and photos of the station at trenscat.cat (in Catalan)