R2 (Rodalies de Catalunya)
The R2 is a line of Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service, operated by Renfe Operadora. It is a major northâsouth axis in the Barcelona metropolitan area, running from the southern limits of the province of Girona to the northern limits of the province of Tarragona, via Barcelona. North of Barcelona, the line uses the BarcelonaâCerbÃ¨re railway, running inland through the VallÃ¨s Oriental region. South of Barcelona, it uses the conventional MadridâBarcelona railway, running along the coast through the Garraf region. The R2 had an annual ridership of 33.6 million in 2016, achieving an average weekday ridership of 125,948 according to 2008 data, which makes it the busiest line of the Barcelona commuter rail service.[1][2]

R2

R2 Nord

R2 SudOverviewService typeCommuter railStatusOperationalLocaleBarcelona metropolitan areaFirst service1989 ( )Current operator(s)Renfe OperadoraRidership125,948 (2008)[1]Annual ridership33.6 million (2016)[2]RouteTerminiSant VicenÃ§ de Calders (R2 Sud), Castelldefels (R2), BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport (R2 Nord)

Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a (R2 Sud), Granollers Centre (R2), MaÃ§anet-Massanes (R2 Nord)Stops34Distance travelled133 km (83 mi)[1]Average journey time59 minâ1 h 38 minService frequencyEvery 8â60 minLine(s) used

MadridâBarcelona

BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport rail link

BarcelonaâCerbÃ¨re

TechnicalRolling stockCivia, 447 Series, 450 Series and 451 Series EMUsTrack gauge1,668 mm (5 ft5+21â32 in) Iberian gaugeElectrification3,000 V DC overhead linesTrack owner(s)Adif

All R2 trains use the AragÃ³ Tunnel in Barcelona, where they share tracks with Rodalies de Catalunya's regional rail lines R11, R13, R14, R15 and R16, calling at Sants and Passeig de GrÃ cia stations.[3] The line originally had no branches, with Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders and MaÃ§anet-Massanes serving as its only southernmost and northernmost terminus, respectively. In 2009, it took over the service offered by Barcelona commuter rail service line R10, incorporating the branch lines to BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport and Barcelona's EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a. A new line scheme has been in operation ever since; the services starting or terminating at the airport run north towards MaÃ§anet-Massanes and are designated R2 Nord ("North"), whilst the ones starting or terminating at EstaciÃ³ de FraÃ§a run south towards Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders and are designated R2 Sud ("South"). The rest of the services, simply designated R2, operate between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre.

Together with lines R1, R3 and R4, the R2 (then simply numbered line 2) started services in 1989 as one of the first lines of the CercanÃ­as commuter rail system for Barcelona, known as Rodalies Barcelona. In the long-term future, it is projected to take over the R4 south of Barcelona, connecting the inland regions of the Barcelona metropolitan area.

History

The predecessor of the modern-day R2 started operating in 1989 as line 2 of Rodalies Barcelona, the CercanÃ­as commuter rail system for the Barcelona area, created in the same year. Since its creation until 2009, the R2 had preserved its original line scheme with no branch lines, using only MaÃ§anet-Massanes and Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders stations as its northern and southern terminus, respectively. Due to the construction works of the new Sagrera railway station in Barcelona and the urban renewal project associated with it, the operational capacity at Sant Andreu Comtal railway station and its surroundings was restricted. Consequently, several rail services were modified, with Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service lines R2 and R10 as the most affected. On 31 January 2009, the R10, which linked BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport to Barcelona's EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a, suspended services. The R2 then took over the service offered by the R10, incorporating the branch lines to the airport and EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a, and a new line scheme came into service.[5] The R10 was initially scheduled to resume services two years later.[6]

Accidents and incidents

Main article: Castelldefels train accident

On 23 June 2010, twelve people were killed and fourteen were injured when an express train ran into them as they were crossing the line at Platja de Castelldefels station.[7]

Main article: 2017 Barcelona train crash

On 28 July 2017, fifty-four people were injured when a R2 Sud train coming from Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders collided with a buffer stop at Barcelona's EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a terminus.[8]

Infrastructure

Like the rest of Rodalies de Catalunya lines, the R2 runs on the Iberian gauge mainline railway system, which is owned by Adif, an agency of the Spanish government. All of the railway lines carrying Rodalies de Catalunya services are electrified at 3,000 volts (V) direct current (DC) using overhead lines. The R2 operates on a total line length of 133 kilometres (83 mi), which is entirely double-track, except for the single-track section between El Prat de Llobregat and BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport stations.[9] The trains on the line call at up to 34 stations, using the following railway lines, in order from south to north:[10]

FromToRailway lineRoute number Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders (PK 618)Barcelona Sants (PK 677.6)MadridâBarcelona200 Airport (PK 0)El Prat de Llobregat (PK 6.7)AirportâEl Prat de Llobregat254 Barcelona Sants (PK 99)Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a (PK 106.6)MadridâBarcelona260 AragÃ³ Junction (PK 108.3)

(after Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia station)Sant Andreu Comtal (PK 113.2)AragÃ³ Tunnel268 Sant Andreu Comtal (PK 113.2)MaÃ§anet-Massanes (PK 175.9)BarcelonaâCerbÃ¨re270

All of the infrastructure used by the R2 is shared with other services, except the section between BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport and El Prat de Llobregat stations, which is exclusively used by R2 Nord services. Between Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders and Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia stations, it shares tracks with Rodalies de Catalunya's regional rail lines R13, R14, R15 and R16, as well as a number of long-distance services to southern Spain, using the AragÃ³ Tunnel through central Barcelona.[11] R11 regional rail services commence their route at El Prat de Llobregat or Bellvitge stations, joining the route of the R2 and the other regional and long-distance services from these points on to Passeig de GrÃ cia.[12] After Passeig de GrÃ cia, R2 Sud trains, together with the R13, R14, R15 and R16, as well as long-distance services, branch off to Barcelona's EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a, terminating there. The rest of R2 services continue northwards through the AragÃ³ Tunnel, calling at El Clot-AragÃ³ railway station, and share tracks with the R11 only.[13] North of Mollet-Sant Fost railway station, Barcelona commuter rail service line R8 and several freight services join their route. The R8 terminates further north at Granollers Centre so that the R2 only shares tracks with the R11 and freight services from this point on.[14]

Operation

All services running south of Castelldefels railway station, to the south of Barcelona, use EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a as their northern terminus, with Vilanova i la GeltrÃº or Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders stations serving as their southern terminus, in order from north to south. The services terminating at Vilanova i la GeltrÃº call at all stations along their route, whilst the ones terminating at Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders operate limited service, running non-stop between Sitges and Castelldefels, as well as GavÃ and Barcelona Sants. On the other hand, all services running north of Granollers Centre railway station, to the north of Barcelona, use the airport station as their southern terminus, with Sant Celoni or MaÃ§anet-Massanes stations serving as their northern terminus, in order from south to north, calling at all stations. Some of the services terminating at the airport also use Granollers Centre as their northern terminus. The rest of the services on the R2 run between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre, calling at all stations, so that they do not terminate neither at the airport nor at EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a. The first trains run about 5:00 in the morning, with the latest arriving at about 1:00 at night.[15]

The designation of the services on the line depends on the route they operate. All services terminating at the airport are designated R2 Nord ("R2 North"), whilst the services terminating at EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a are designated R2 Sud ("R2 South"). The Nord and Sud designations refer to the fact that such services mostly run on the line's northern and southern portion, respectively. The through services between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre are simply designated R2.[15]

As of August 2015, the service routes operating on the R2 are as follows:[15]

Line Route No.

of stations Journey time Days of

operation Notes R2Castelldefels â Granollers Centre141:021 h 2 minMonâFri[lower-alpha 1]Calls at all stations along its route. R2 NordAirport â Granollers Centre120:5959 minSatâSun Airport â Sant Celoni171:211 h 21 minDaily Airport â MaÃ§anet-Massanes211:381 h 38 minDaily R2 SudVilanova i la GeltrÃº â Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a121:001 hDaily Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders â Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a121:131 h 13 minDailyCalls at all stations along its route, excepting Garraf, Platja de Castelldefels, Viladecans, El Prat de Llobregat and Bellvitge stations, in order from south to north. Some early morning and late night services call at all stations. In addition to the services mentioned above, which make up almost the entirety of the services running on the R2, the following services also operate on the line either in the early morning or at late night, calling at all stations (they are not listed in the table because they cannot be linked to a particular designationâR2, R2 Nord or R2 Sud):

Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders â Sant Celoni

Vilanova i la GeltrÃº â Granollers Centre

Vilanova i la GeltrÃº â MaÃ§anet-Massanes

Castelldefels â Barcelona Sant Andreu Comtal

Castelldefels â Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a

Airport â Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a

The line's activity gathers on its southern section, between Vilanova i la GeltrÃº and Barcelona, where an approximate peak-time service frequency of 10 minutes is offered. All services on the line converge on the section between El Prat de Llobregat and Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia stations, where they together offer an approximate peak-time service frequency of 8 minutes. The overall service frequency reduces as the line moves away from Barcelona, especially on the section north of Sant Celoni, where R2 Nord services only operate during the morning rush hour or at night. During the rest of the day, this section is served by regional rail line R11.[12] Moreover, the services between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre only run on weekdays.

As of August 2015, the approximate service frequencies on the R2 are as follows:[15]

Section Frequency RH OP WE Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders â Vilanova i la GeltrÃº30â²30â²30â² Vilanova i la GeltrÃº â Castelldefels10â²15â²15â² Castelldefels â El Prat de Llobregat10â²15â²15â² Airport â El Prat de Llobregat30â²30â²30â² El Prat de Llobregat â Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia8â²10â²10â² Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia â Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a10â²15â²15â² Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia â Granollers Centre15â²15â²30â² Granollers Centre â Sant Celoni15â²30â²60â² Sant Celoni â MaÃ§anet-Massanes60â²ââ

The trains used on the R2 are Civiaâspecifically, the 463, 464 and 465 Series, which consist of three, four and five cars per set, respectively, 447 Series, 450 Series and 451 Series electrical multiple units (EMU).[1] The 450 and 451 Series are technically and aesthetically identical, differing only in the number of cars per set; the first consist of six cars, whilst the latter consist of three cars. Furthermore, they consist of double-decker cars, becoming the only type of bilevel rolling stock on the Rodalies de Catalunya system. The R2 is the only Rodalies de Catalunya line where 450 and 451 Series trains operate.[16] Normally, the 450 Series runs only on R2 Sud services between Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders and Barcelona's EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a, whilst the 451 Series runs only either on R2 Sud services between Vilanova i la GeltrÃº and EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a, or on R2 services between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre stations. Civia and 447 Series trains are used interchangeably on all R2, R2 Nord and R2 Sud services on the line.[9] On average, the trains used on the line operate a total of 216 services every day on weekdays, accounting for a ridership of 125,948, according to 2008 data.[1]

Future

The 2008â2015 Rail Infrastructure Master Plan for the Barcelona Commuter Rail Service, developed by the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport, plans to establish a "coast-to-coast" and "inland-to-inland" line scheme. According to this project, the current R2 will be extended southwards from Barcelona Sants to Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders stations, via Vilafranca del PenedÃ¨s, taking over the southern section of the present line R4. The R2 will become the "inland-to-inland" line, creating a new major southânorth axis through the inland regions of the Barcelona metropolitan area. R2 trains will continue to use the AragÃ³ Tunnel in central Barcelona with the new line scheme, which is currently not possible due to the configuration of the southern rail accesses to Barcelona Sants. A long-term project with an uncertain completion date, the new configuration would require multimillion-euro investments since it is associated with the construction of a new underground route in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat for the Rodalies de Catalunya lines running through the city as well as the new rail link for BarcelonaâEl Prat Airport.

As stated in the master plan, the proposed peak-time service frequencies for the future R2 would be as follows:

Sectiontph Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders â Martorell5 Martorell â Granollers Centre10 Granollers Centre â MaÃ§anet-Massanes5

List of stations

The following table lists the name of each station served by line R2 in order from south to north; the station's service pattern offered by R2, R2 Nord and/or R2 Sud trains; the transfers to other Rodalies de Catalunya lines, including both commuter and regional rail services; remarkable transfers to other transport systems; the municipality in which each station is located; and the fare zone each station belongs to according to the Autoritat del Transport MetropolitÃ (ATM Ãrea de Barcelona) fare-integrated public transport system and Rodalies de Catalunya's own fare zone system for Barcelona commuter rail service lines.[20][21]

# Terminal of a service * Transfer station to other transport systems #* Transfer station and terminal â Station served by all trains running through it â Limited service station

Station Service Rodalies de Catalunya transfers Other transfers Municipality Fare zone R2 R2 Nord R2 Sud ATM AdB Rod Sant VicenÃ§ de Calders# âR4, R13, R14, R15, R16, R17, RT2âEl Vendrell6A6 Calafell âR13, R14, R15âCalafell5A5 Segur de Calafell âR13, R14, R15âCalafell5A5 Cunit âR13, R14, R15âCunit5A5 Cubelles âR13, R14, R15âCubelles4A5 Vilanova i la GeltrÃº# âR13, R14, R15, R16, R17âVilanova i la GeltrÃº4A4 Sitges âR13, R14, R15âSitges3A4 Garraf âââSitges2A3 Platja de Castelldefels âââCastelldefels12 Castelldefels# ââR13, R14, R15âCastelldefels12 GavÃ ââR13, R14, R15âGavÃ 12 Viladecans ââR15âViladecans12 Airport#* ââBarcelonaâEl Prat Airport

Barcelona Metro line 9 (L9 Sud)El Prat de Llobregat14 El Prat de Llobregat* âââR15Barcelona Metro line 9 (L9 Sud)El Prat de Llobregat11 Bellvitge* âââR15Barcelona Metro line 8, as well as Baix Llobregat Metro and other commuter rail services at Gornal stationL'Hospitalet de Llobregat11 Barcelona Sants* âââR1, R3, R4, R11, R12, R13, R14, R15, R16, R17, RG1Renfe Operadora-operated high-speed and long-distance rail services

TGV high-speed rail services

Barcelona Metro lines 3 and 5 at Sants EstaciÃ³ station

National and international coach servicesBarcelona11 Barcelona Passeig de GrÃ cia* âââR11, R13, R14, R15, R16, R17Barcelona Metro lines 2, 3 and 4Barcelona11 Barcelona EstaciÃ³ de FranÃ§a#* âR13, R14, R15, R16, R17Renfe Operadora-operated long-distance rail services

Barcelona Metro line 4 at Barceloneta stationBarcelona11 Barcelona El Clot-AragÃ³* ââR1, R11, RG1Barcelona Metro lines 1 and 2Barcelona11 Barcelona Sant Andreu Comtal* ââR11Barcelona Metro line 1 at Sant Andreu stationBarcelona11 Montcada i Reixac ââââMontcada i Reixac11 La Llagosta ââââLa Llagosta2D2 Mollet-Sant Fost ââR8âMollet del VallÃ¨s2D2 MontmelÃ³ ââR8âMontmelÃ³2D2 Granollers Centre# ââR8, R11âGranollers3D3 Les Franqueses-Granollers Nord âââLes Franqueses del VallÃ¨s3D3 Cardedeu âââCardedeu3D4 Llinars del VallÃ¨s âââLlinars del VallÃ¨s3D4 Palautordera âââSanta Maria de Palautordera4G5 Sant Celoni# âR11âSant Celoni4G5 Gualba âR11âGualba4G5 Riells i Viabrea-Breda âR11âRiells i Viabrea4G5 Hostalric âR11âHostalric5H6 MaÃ§anet-Massanes# âR1, R11, RG1âMaÃ§anet de la Selva6G6

Notes

The services between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre do not run on 3â28 August.

References

Bibliography

JuliÃ Sort, Jordi (October 2013). Sagrera i la xarxa ferroviÃ ria de Barcelona [Sagrera and Barcelona's railway system] (in Catalan). Barcelona: Viena Edicions. ISBN978-84-8330-740-3.

Plan de infraestructuras ferroviarias de cercanÃ­as de Barcelona 2008-2015 [2008â2015 Infrastructure Master Plan for the Barcelona Commuter Rail Service] (PDF) (Technical report) (in Spanish). Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Government of Spain. February 2009 â via AssociaciÃ³ per a la PromociÃ³ del Transport PÃºblic.

Rodalies de Catalunya official website

Schedule for the R2 (PDF format)

Official Twitter accounts by Rodalies de Catalunya for lines R2, R2 Nord and R2 Sud with service status updates (tweets usually published only in Catalan)

Geographic data related to R2, R2 Nord and R2 Sud at OpenStreetMap

R2 (rodalia 2) on Twitter. Unofficial Twitter account by Rodalia.info monitoring real-time information about the R2 by its users.

Information about the R2 at trenscat.cat (in Catalan)