Betanzos Infiesta – Ferrol

Although the first studies for the development of a railway line to Ferrol date from 1864 and the project was approved in March 1869, its construction did not materialise due to the complex orography of a route parallel to the estuaries and the low demand for passengers and goods expected. [1] [2]

After the inauguration of the railway link between Lugo and La Coruña in 1875, the Public Administration became increasingly interested in putting a branch line into service to Ferrol from Betanzos station. This access was of great strategic importance due to the military installations and the shipyards in the port of Ferrol. However, several auctions for the concession of the line, in 1877 and 1880, were unsuccessful. The companies did not see sufficient incentives to invest in a line that, despite its short length, required significant engineering works. Faced with this situation, and with the government being the main stakeholder in the project, it was decided to finance the work with public funds, making it the first railway line to be built directly by the State in Spain. The line was built with an eye to optimising costs, which resulted in a route with a large number of short alignments, tight radii and more than 50% of the route with gradients greater than 1:15. All this made its operation more difficult later on. [1] [2]

The construction of the line lasted more than ten years and highlighted the technical difficulties of the work, as has been said. It was inaugurated in May 1913, with a length of 42 kilometres and functioning as a branch line, popularly known as ‘el Ramalillo’ of the Madrid-A Coruña line, thus allowing Ferrol to connect with the rest of the Iberian gauge national railway network. [2] [3] [4]

Its operation was no less complicated. Initially it was leased to the Compañía del Norte, which provided the first locomotives to operate the line. Shortly afterwards, the operation was taken over by the railway company MZOV (Medina del Campo to Zamora and Orense to Vigo), which in 1928 became part of the state-owned company CNFE (National Railway Company of Western Spain), created to take over the various railway lines that had passed into state control after the bankruptcy of their owners. [2] [3]

In 1941, when the Iberian gauge railway network was nationalised, the line became part of RENFE. Until 2005, when, with the extinction of RENFE, within the framework of Law 39/2003 on the Railway Sector, it came under Adif like the rest of the RFIG of the State.
In 2024 the line is mainly used for passenger services, with five trains a day running between Betanzos and Ferrol, with a journey time of around 50 minutes.
In November 2024, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility submitted for public information the informative study of a branch line that would directly connect A Coruña and Ferrol by train through a by-pass between the León–A Coruña and Betanzos-Infiesto-Ferrol lines and that would therefore avoid the inversion of the direction of travel of the trains at the Betanzos-Infesta station. This new branch line will mean a saving of between 6 and 7 minutes on the journey between A Coruña and Ferrol and will make the railway more attractive to users of the corridor. [5]

The line has considerable potential for tourism, as its route, which crosses four estuaries, offers spectacular views of the Galician coast, allowing travellers to enjoy the landscapes of As Mariñas and the Mandeo region. In fact, Renfe already operates tourist trains during the months of July and August that take advantage of not only the rich landscape but also the historical and cultural heritage. As part of the ‘Tourist Trains of Galicia’ programme, the Mariñas Route includes stops in Betanzos to appreciate its historic centre, the Orballo tea plantation in Paderne, Pontedeume with its medieval bridge and Ferrol, including a boat trip along the estuary and a visit to the A Magdalena neighbourhood.

Category C1.
Non-electrified track with wooden sleepers in need of repair.