Plaça d'Espanya station

Plaça d'Espanya
FGC rapid transit and commuter rail station TMB rapid transit station complex
The station's southern entrance from Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes in 2009.
Location	Plaça d'Espanya Barcelona Catalonia Spain
Coordinates
Owned by	Government of Catalonia
Operated by	Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC; Llobregat–Anoia Line) Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB; Barcelona Metro lines 1 and 3)
Line(s)	Llobregat–Anoia Line Barcelona Metro line 1 Barcelona Metro line 3
Platforms	2 side platforms and 1 island platform (Llobregat–Anoia Line) 2 side platforms (Barcelona Metro line 1) 2 side platforms (Barcelona Metro line 3)
Tracks	4 (Llobregat–Anoia Line) 2 (Barcelona Metro line 1) 2 (Barcelona Metro line 3)
Connections	Urban and interurban buses Bicing stations located nearby
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Bicycle facilities	The upper hall of the Llobregat–Anoia Line station has a bicycle parking rack.
Disabled access	The FGC entrance (southwestern side of Plaça d'Espanya) is fully disabled-accessible.
Other information
Station code	122 (Barcelona Metro line 1) 321 (Barcelona Metro line 3)
Fare zone	1 (ATM Àrea de Barcelona)
History
Opened	1926 (1926) (Llobregat–Anoia Line and Barcelona Metro line 1) 1975 (1975) (Barcelona Metro line 3)
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	5,248,498 (Llobregat–Anoia Line)
Services
Preceding station   FGC   Following station Magòria-La Campana toward Molí Nou-Ciutat Cooperativa L8 Terminus Magòria-La Campana toward Can Ros S33 Magòria-La Campana toward Olesa de Montserrat S4 Magòria-La Campana toward Martorell Enllaç S8 Magòria-La Campana toward Manresa Baixador R5 Magòria-La Campana toward Igualada R6 Ildefons Cerdà toward Manresa Baixador R50 Ildefons Cerdà toward Igualada R60 Preceding station   Metro   Following station Hostafrancs toward Hospital de Bellvitge L1 Rocafort toward Fondo Tarragona toward Zona Universitària L3 Poble Sec toward Trinitat Nova
Location
Plaça d'Espanya Location in the Barcelona area.

Plaça d'Espanya, also simply known as Espanya, is an interchange complex underneath Plaça d'Espanya, in the Barcelona district of Sants-Montjuïc, in Catalonia, Spain. It comprises the Barcelona terminus of the Llobregat–Anoia Line and a Barcelona Metro station complex served by lines 1 (L1) and 3 (L3). The Llobregat–Anoia Line station is served by Barcelona Metro line 8 (L8), Baix Llobregat Metro lines S33, S4 and S8, and commuter rail lines R5, R6, R50 and R60. The services on the Llobregat–Anoia Line (including the L8) are operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), whilst the L1 and L3 are operated by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB).

History

The station opened in 1926, when both the metro line L1 platforms, on the initial section of L1 between Bordeta and Catalunya stations, and the upper level FGC platforms opened. In 1929 the station served the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition held nearby.

The metro line L3 platforms were added in 1975, on the then separate line L3b between Paral·lel and Sants stations. The platforms became served by the L3 proper in 1982, when the L3 and L3b were merged into a single through service.

In 1997, two lower level platforms were added to the FGC part of the station, aligned in anticipation of future eastern extension of the FGC lines.

Station layout

The station complex comprises three sets of platforms, serving three different sets of lines on three different track gauges. All three sets of platforms are connected by pedestrian subways to each other, and to various street entrances in the square and its surrounding streets. The sets of platforms are:

• The Llobregat–Anoia Line uses four metre gauge terminal tracks located under Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes at its intersection with Plaça Espanya. The four tracks are at two different levels. The tracks on the upper level are served by a pair of 159-metre-long (522 ft) side platforms, whilst the tracks on the lower level are served by an island platform. The four terminal tracks converge, west of the station, into a single pair of tracks carrying all train services.
• Barcelona Metro line 1 (L1) uses a pair of through Iberian gauge tracks located directly below Plaça Espanya. These tracks are served by a pair of 92-metre-long (302 ft) side platforms. Previously, there had existed a third terminal track and platform, allowing trains from the city center to terminate at the station.
• Barcelona Metro line 3 (L3) uses a pair of through standard gauge tracks located beneath Paral·lel Avenue, between Plaça Espanya and Carrer Llançà. These tracks are served by a pair of 94-metre-long (308 ft) side platforms.

Accesses

The interchange station has the following entrances:

• Carrer de Tarragona
• Avinguda Paral·lel
• Exposició (located in front of Fira de Barcelona's trade fair venue in Plaça d'Espanya)
• FGC (located in the southwestern side of Plaça d'Espanya)
• Carrer de la Creu Coberta

Photo gallery

• 

  View of the platforms at the L1 station.

• 

  One of the platforms of the L3 station.

• 

  The lower-level platform of the Llobregat–Anoia Line station.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• The Barcelona Metro stations (L1 and L3) listing at the Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) website
• Information and photos of the Llobregat–Anoia Line and Barcelona Metro (L1 and L3) stations at trenscat.cat (Catalan)
• Videos on train operations at the Llobregat–Anoia Line and Barcelona Metro (L1 and L3) stations on YouTube