Spain has some narrow-gauge railways. In addition to the railway lines belonging to the Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE) and Euskotren rail networks, there are several narrow-gauge railways in Spain – two are tourist, others are part of the RENFE network. Furthermore, there are remains of closed and demolished narrow-gauge lines in different parts of the country. The list does not include miniature railways.
Narrow gauge railways in Spain
Tren del Ciment (Catalonia) – a tourist train on a former industrial railway with a rail gauge of 600 mm from the La Pobla de Lillet railway station to the Cement Museum established on the site of a former cement factory in Castellar de n’Hug. The length of the route is 3.5 kilometers, the train stops at two stops along the way. The train is very popular among tourists. Tren del Ciment is operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
Tren del Ciment – official website
Rio Tinto Mining Railway (Andalusia) – a narrow gauge line with a total length of 12 km. A remnant of the narrow-gauge railway network serving the mine in Rio Tinto area. The railway line was put into operation in 1875 and connected the mine with the port of Huelva (83 km). The entire narrow-gauge railway network in its heyday was 300 kilometers long. Part of the closed line to Huelva remained intact, but it was not possible to rehabilitate it and launch tourist trains. Part of the railway line was replaced by a bicycle path. Old wagons and locomotives can also be found in the Rio Tinto Mining Museum.
Trains run on two routes:
– train with a diesel locomotive and passenger carriages covers the distance 11 kilometers
– train hauled by a steam locomotive covers the distance of 5 kilometers
Rio Tinto Mining Railway – official website
Narrow gauge railway in Utrillas – toy train in the mining theme park in the small town of Utrillas (100 km south of Zaragoza). The industraial railway line served the mine in the years 1904-1964. Some time after its closure, it was partially rebuilt. Tourist trains run seasonally. Total lenght of the line is 9 km, gauge is 600 mm.
Parque Minerro – official website
Ferrocarril Eléctrico del Guadarrama – a narrow-gauge line with build to 1000 mm gauge, part of the RENFE network of suburban lines in Madrid area. The 18.2 km long line inaugurated in 1923. Suburban trains run between Cercedilla and Cotos stations daily. It is a scenic mountain line and trains serve ski resorts in the Guadarrama Mountains. Passengers can reach Cercedilla station from Madrid by C8 train line.
Cartagena – Los Nietos – a narrow-gauge line that is part of the FEVE network, but is located in the Murcia region, in the south of Spain, far from the north of the country, where the rest of the network is situated. Initially built to service mines near La Union, nationalized in 1931, extended to Los Nietos in 1965. Rail gauge 1067 mm, line length 19.6 km, travel time approximately 28 minutes. Until recently, suburban trains ran on the route as line C4 from Cartagena (the narrow-gauge station is located 250 meters from the RENFE station).
There are plans to rebuild the picturesque El carrilet de la Vall Fosca-Estany Gento. This narrow-gauge mountain line was built at an altitude of 2,100 meters. The reconstruction would cover a 5.5 km long section connecting the station at Lake Gento with the upper station at the Capdella hydroelectric power plant. The line was built in 1911 to transport construction materials to a hydroelectric power plant, and currently former railway line is used as a tourist trail.
Many narrow gauge railways in Spain were closed in the 1960s and 1970s, for example, the narrow-gauge railway network around Malaga (Ferrocarriles Suburbanos Malaga), closed around 1966. In 1956 and 1969, two narrow-gauge lines near Girona were closed, and in 1974, traffic on the 21.7 km long line from Granada to La Estella (Ferrocarril Granada and Sierra Nevada) was ceased. A similar fate befell the Ferrocarril Valdepenas a Puertollano line in 1963. At the former narrow-gauge railway station in the center of the city of Salou in Catalonia, you can see a playground with a steam locomotive and a wagon commemorating the Reus – Salou narrow-gauge railway running in the years 1887-1965.
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