Line 1 (), often shortened to L1, coloured red and often simply called Línia vermella (; "Red Line"), is the second oldest Barcelona Metro line, after Line 3. It is the longest line of the Barcelona Metro and links L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Santa Coloma de Gramenet, crossing and serving the centre of Barcelona. Originally operated by the independent Ferrocarril Metropolitano Transversal de Barcelona, it is today operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and is part of the ATM fare-integrated main transport system. L1 is the only metro line in Spain to use old Iberian gauge tracks (1674 mm), slightly wider than those used by most Spanish main line railways.
The line was created in 1926 as a means to join the rail stations the city had in the 1920s, and in preparation for the 1929 Universal Exposition. It has been growing since then to become a large line made up of 30 stations, as of 2007, the network's busiest one. These stations are architecturally homogenous, and as in the case of most metro lines in Barcelona, ornamentation is virtually absent from them. Some of them are improving their artificial lighting. Most of the line is underground, except for one short section, and at one point it shares tunnels with mainline tracks.
Future plans are for the line to be extended southwards towards El Prat de Llobregat and from its northern terminus into Badalona, where it will join Line 2 at Badalona Centre.
History
1926 – Bordeta-Catalunya section opened. 1932 – Bordeta-Santa Eulàlia and Catalunya-Arc de Triomf sections opened. 1933 – Arc de Triomf-Marina section opened. 1951 – Marina-Clot section opened. 1952 – Clot-Navas section opened. 1954 – Navas-Fabra i Puig section opened. 1968 – Fabra i Puig-Torras i Bages section opened. 1983 – Torras i Bages-Santa Coloma and Santa Eulàlia-Torrassa sections opened. Bordeta station closed. 1987 – Torrassa-Avinguda Carrilet section opened. 1989 – Avinguda Carrilet-Feixa Llarga (now Hospital de Bellvitge) section opened. 1992 – Santa Coloma-Fondo section opened.
Route The line runs from Hospital de Bellvitge, in the municipality of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, and Fondo, in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. Most of the line is underground, except for a short elevated section running parallel to Rodalies de Catalunya mainline trains between Plaça de Sants and Santa Eulàlia stations with an intermediate stop at Mercat Nou.
Between Catalunya and Arc de Triomf stations, L1 shares tunnels with an ADIF owned main line railway, carrying Renfe operated Rodalies de Catalunya suburban passenger services. With four tracks in the tunnels, the outer tracks carry L1 metro services whilst the middle two tracks carry main line services. At Catalunya station, the L1 metro trains stop at side platforms, whilst the Rodalies de Catalunya trains serve an island platform. At Arc de Triomf station, the Rodalies de Catalunya trains stop at side platforms, whilst the L1 trains serve platforms in flanking single track tunnels. At the intermediate Urquinaona station, the L1 metro trains stop at side platforms, whilst main line trains do not stop.
Map
Stations StationImage LocationOpenedInterchanges L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 19 October 1989 19 October 1989 24 April 1987 24 April 1987 24 April 1987 24 April 1987 23 December 1983 23 December 1983 Sants-Montjuïc, Barcelona 10 June 1926 10 June 1926 10 June 1926 10 June 1926 Eixample, Barcelona 10 June 1926 10 June 1926 10 June 1926 10 June 1926 1 July 1932 1 July 1932 Sant Martí, Barcelona 1 April 1933 23 June 1951 23 June 1951 Sant Andreu, Barcelona 8 May 1953 26 January 1954 15 May 1954 14 March 1968 14 March 1968 21 December 1983 21 December 1983 Santa Coloma de Gramenet 21 December 1983 18 February 1992
References
External links
Stations and links of this line from OpenStreetMap data Trenscat.com