Barcelona Sants railway station

Barcelona Sants is the main railway station in Barcelona, owned by Adif, the railway infrastructure agency of Spain. It has become the most important transport hub of the city - being the centre of Rodalies de Catalunya including Barcelona suburban railway services and regional services, as well as the main inter-city station for national and international destinations. The station is named after Sants, the neighbourhood of Barcelona in which it is located. New parts of the station have recently been remodeled to accommodate the Spanish high-speed train AVE in the city, which started serving the city on 20 February 2008. There is also an adjacent international bus station bearing the same name, and a link to the Sants Estació metro station that serves the railway station.

Barcelona Sants
The station's main façade in 2010
General information
LocationPlaça dels Països Catalans
08014 Barcelona
Spain
Coordinates41°22′44″N 2°08′24″E / 41.37889°N 2.14000°E / 41.37889; 2.14000
Owned byAdif
Operated byRenfe Operadora and SNCF
Line(s)
Platforms7 island platforms
Tracks14 – 8 in Iberian gauge and 6 in standard gauge
Connections
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels2
ParkingAdjacent parking garage.
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code71801 (Adif)
IATA codeYJB
History
Opened18 July 1975 (1975-07-18)
Passengers
201846,511,388 ()[1]
Rank2[2]
Services
Preceding station Ouigo España Following station
Camp de Tarragona Madrid to Barcelona Terminus
Location
Barcelona Sants is located in Barcelona
Barcelona Sants
Barcelona Sants
Location in Barcelona
Barcelona Sants is located in Spain
Barcelona Sants
Barcelona Sants
Location in Spain

History and architectural design edit

 
Concourse of the station.

The modern Sants station was built in the 1970s as part of construction of the second east–west regional line running under the centre of Barcelona. The first east–west railway to Estació de França terminus, more to the north,[3] was covered up and is now also in use as a railtunnel for the regional and long-distance trains. Over the last 30 years, Estació de Sants has since eclipsed the earlier França terminus (Barcelona Estació de França), from the 1920s, as Barcelona's main railway station.

The station was built in a modern airport style, with all of its many platforms sited underground. A hotel (Hotel Barceló Sants) occupies most of the upper floors of the station's main building.

Location edit

 
Access to the metro station from the railway station

The station is in the Sants-Montjuïc district of Barcelona, a little way to the west of the city centre, and is easily accessible via metro (see section below) or bus from anywhere in the city. Sited at the end of Avinguda Roma between two squares, Plaça dels Països Catalans and Plaça Joan Peiró, it has two entrances, one in each.

Services edit

Long distance edit

Madrid is two and a half hours away on the AVE Madrid–Barcelona high-speed rail line, after the link between Camp de Tarragona and Barcelona opened in 2008. Extension of the high-speed network east into France connecting with the TGV network was completed in January 2013 upon completion of the Perpignan–Barcelona high-speed rail line and a direct TGV service started in December 2013.[4][5] The high speed service uses platforms 1 to 6, which have now been converted to the European standard gauge for use by the AVE services, unlike the remaining 8 for other RENFE services using the wider Spanish gauge tracks. A second major railway station in Barcelona, Estació de la Sagrera, currently under construction, is expected to join it in order to provide a wider access to high-speed and long-distance trains to the north of the city.

Preceding station Renfe Operadora Following station
Camp de Tarragona AVE Terminus
Girona
Camp de Tarragona Terminus
Camp de Tarragona
Terminus Girona
Girona
Madrid Puerta de Atocha
Terminus
Girona
Zaragoza Delicias Avlo Terminus
Madrid Puerta de Atocha
Terminus
Camp de Tarragona Girona
Camp de Tarragona Alvia Terminus
Camp de Tarragona
towards Hendaye
Camp de Tarragona
towards A Coruña
Camp de Tarragona
towards Vigo-Guixar
Camp de Tarragona
towards Gijón
Camp de Tarragona Euromed
Camp de Tarragona
towards Alicante
Intercity
Camp de Tarragona
Camp de Tarragona
towards Cartagena
Camp de Tarragona
Camp de Tarragona
Preceding station SNCF Following station
Terminus TGV
Girona
towards Paris-Lyon
Preceding station   Ouigo España Following station
Camp de Tarragona Madrid to Barcelona Terminus
Preceding station   Iryo Following station
Camp de Tarragona Madrid to Barcelona Terminus

Regional and commuter rail edit

Preceding station Renfe Operadora Following station
Camp de Tarragona Avant Terminus
Camp de Tarragona
towards Tortosa
Terminus Girona
Camp de Tarragona Intercity Terminus
Camp de Tarragona
towards Pamplona
Tarragona
Sant Vicenç de Calders Media Distancia
34
Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
Preceding station   Rodalies de Catalunya Following station
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat R1 Barcelona Plaça de Catalunya
Bellvitge R2 Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
Bellvitge R2 Nord Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
Bellvitge R2 Sud Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
Terminus
R3 Barcelona Plaça de Catalunya
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat R4 Barcelona Plaça de Catalunya
towards Manresa
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
Terminus
RG1 Barcelona Plaça de Catalunya
towards Portbou
Terminus R11 Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
towards Cerbère
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
Terminus
R12 Barcelona Plaça de Catalunya
Gavà R13 Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia
R14
Bellvitge R15
Vilanova i la Geltrú R16
Vilanova i la Geltrú R17
Suspended
Bellvitge R10 Barcelona Passeig de Gràcia

Barcelona Metro edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Adif - Información de estaciones - Barcelona Sants". ADIF. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Atocha Cercanías lidera las estaciones de tren en España con más de 270.000 viajeros al día". Tribuna de Salamanca (in Spanish). 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ railwaymap 1908 The square in front of the station is situated at 'Carres de Tarragona' also visible on the map.
  4. ^ "High speed line opens between Barcelona and Figueres". Railway Gazette International. 8 January 2013.
  5. ^ Communiqué de presse Paris - Barcelone

External links edit