SPAIN: In late May the Generalitat de Catalunya regional government and Barcelona transport authority ATM gave the final sign-off for construction of a tramway along Avinguda Diagonal to link the city’s two modern light rail networks, known as Trambaix and Trambesós.
The 3∙9 km connection linking Francesc Macia with Glòries will have six stops. Francesc Macià is the terminus of routes 1, 2 and 3, which cover the western part of the city, while routes 4, 5 and 6 serve the northeastern part of the city. The project has a budget of €37∙6m, of which just under €5m is allocated to the acquisition of more trams which will be designed for use without catenary.
Construction will initially focus on the section between Verdaguer, Sicilia and Monumental, with the existing stop at Glòries to be relocated in front of the Museo del Diseño. An invitation to tender for the civils work and rolling stock is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.
Services are to be operated at a minimum headway of 4 min at a commercial speed of 16 km/h. The estimated initial ridership is 227 394 passengers per day.
