History of rail transport in Spain
|
|
- This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series
During the 19th century Spain was one of the poorest and least economically developed countries in Western Europe, and was also politically unstable. Railways were therefore relatively late to appear. The first line to be built in the Peninsula was a short link from Barcelona to Mataró opened in 1848, although by that date a line was already working in Cuba - then part of the Spanish empire. It was not until laws were passed in the 1850s making railway investment more attractive to foreign capital, that railway building on a large scale began.
| Contents |
Choice of gauge
One major misfortune was a decision, taken at an early stage, that Spain's railways should be built to an unusual broad track gauge of 1674 mm (roughly 5ft 6in, or six Castilian feet). The choice of gauge was influenced by Spain's hostility to neighbouring France during the 1850s: it was believed that making the Spanish railway network incompatible with that of France would hinder any French invasion. As a result, Portuguese railways were also built to a broad gauge.
This unfortunate political decision would be regretted by future generations, as it hindered international trade, and also made railway construction more expensive. Owing to the expense of building broad-gauge lines, a large system of narrow-gauge railways was built in the poorer parts of Spain, especially in the north-west of the country.
Development
The main-line network was roughly complete by the 1870s. Because of Spain's (until recently) relative lack of economic development, the Spanish railway network never became as extensive as those of most other European countries. For instance, in terms of land area Spain is about 2.5 times the size of Great Britain but its railway network is about 3,000 km (1,900 miles) smaller.
Civil War
During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s the railway network was extensively damaged. Immediately after the war the Franco regime nationalized the broad-gauge network, and in 1941 RENFE was formed. Narrow-gauge lines were nationalized in the 1950s, later being grouped to form FEVE.
It took many years for the railway system to recover from the war; during the 1950s it was common to see intercity express trains hauled by 100-year-old steam locomotives on poor worn-out track. In spite of this, innovators like Goicoechea created advanced trains like the Talgo and the TER. Only with the disappearance of the Franco regime in 1975, and Spain's emergence from international isolation, did the Spanish railway network begin to modernize and catch up with the rest of Europe.
Post Franco
Following the decentralization of Spain after 1978, those narrow-gauge lines which did not cross the limits of autonomous communities of Spain were taken out of the control of FEVE and transferred to the regional governments, which formed, amongst others, Eusko Trenbideak and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Madrid (Madrid Metro), Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao (Metro Bilbao) all have autonomous subway services.
In recent years Spain's railways have received very heavy investment, much of it coming from the European Union. Most recently a standard-gauge high-speed rail line (AVE) has been built between Madrid and Seville. In 2003 high-speed services were service was inaugurated on a new line from Madrid to Lleida, due to be extended to Barcelona by 2007 and eventually onwards via an international tunnel beneath the Pyrenees to Perpignan where it will link up with the French TGV high-speed system. Delays on the part of the French government in authorizing construction on its side of the border have held up Spanish plans to some extent, however. Further high-speed links are under construction from Madrid to Valladolid and from Córdoba to Málaga, and new lines are planned to Valencia and to Lisbon.
Spanish railways have been a target of sabotage and attacks by ETA and by Al-Qaeda, as in the March 11, 2004 Madrid attacks.
Future Plans
A tunnel link under the Strait of Gibralter to Morroco and North Africa is also contemplated.