Line 230
La Plana-Picamoixons - Reus

La Plana-Picamoixons – Reus

CHARACTERISTICS

Type of line
D
Length
20,9 km
Single track layout
Max. speed
140 km/h
Electrification
3 kV CC
Security system
Tren tierra y ASFA
Blockages
BLAU ctc
Capacity - Traffic
79 trenes/día - 34 trenes/día
Saturation
43%
Stations
  • Estación de Estación de Reus (UTM 31T 340604 4558314); (P.K. 0,000) / VM
  • Estación de La Selva del Camp (UTM 31T 344408 4563885); (P.K. 80,300) / VM
  • Estación de Alcover (UTM 31T 347060 4569401); (74,000) / VM
  • Estación de La Plana-Picamoixons (UTM 31T 348892 4574303); (P.K. 68,600) / VM

The origins of this railway line date back to the mid-1850s, when the first railway connection was built between the city of Reus and Tarragona. This link was vital for the industrial expansion of Reus’s thriving bourgeoisie.

The railway line project between Reus and Tarragona was drawn up by the engineer Joaquín Núñez de Prado. Work began in 1853 and the line was inaugurated in 1856 by the ‘Tarragona to Reus Railway Company’. Originally it offered a mixed service for passengers and goods, but it was loss-making, which led to the line being bought in November 1857 by the Compañía General de Crédito de España, and it continued to be run under the direction of a company created in 1862, which was called the ‘Compañía del Ferrocarril del Lérida a Reus y Tarragona’.

Originally it offered a mixed service of passengers and goods, which nevertheless was loss-making [...]

The overwhelming enthusiasm for the railway at the time encouraged new shareholders to extend the line northwards, first as far as Montblanc and later as far as Lleida. The construction was commissioned to the Reus contractors Joaquín Borrás and Eduardo Bové, who began work in 1863. The completion of the works was delayed for 16 years, until 1879, although sections were put into service throughout this period. [1]

The overwhelming enthusiasm for railways at the time encouraged new shareholders to extend the line northwards [...]

Five years after its inauguration, the company was bought by the Northern Spanish Railway Company, CCHNE, which had progressively taken control of a large part of the lines operating in this area. In 1941, the line was nationalised and became the property of RENFE.

Initially, due to its transversal nature, the line mainly operated regional services. However, with its progressive electrification over time, and until the entry into service of the high-speed line, it became Catalonia’s main rail link with the rest of the country. [2]

Initially, due to its cross-cutting nature, the line mainly operated regional services.

Currently, line 230 between La Plana-Picamoixons and Reus essentially serves as a connection between the routes of line 200, which links Madrid with Barcelona via Zaragoza and Lleida, and line 210, which links Zaragoza-Miraflores with Tarragona.

In terms of landscape, the line does not offer any remarkable features that could be used to promote tourism. It runs parallel to the C-14 road, through a flat landscape of vegetable gardens and fruit trees interrupted by the urban fabric and industrial estates of the towns it connects. In the northernmost sector, to the west of the line, there are coniferous forests of varying density due to logging operations.

Category A2.

Electrified track with concrete sleepers in need of improvement.

Photographic report

Apartadero de Alcover (Tarrragona)

Apartadero de Alcover (Tarragona)

Vista exterior del apeadero de La Selva del Camp (Tarragona)

Apeadero de La Selva del Camp (Tarragona)

References

  1. [1] J. P. Torner, «Compañía del Ferrocarril de Lérida a Reus y Tarragona», Ferrocarriles de España, 23 / Feb / 2012. [En línea]. Ver referencia

  2. [2] «Tren de Tarragona: historia e importancia», DIARI DE TARRAGONA, é, 28 nov 2018. [En línea]. Ver referencia

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