San Sebastián Metro

Euskotren operates frequent commuter rail services in the city of San Sebastián and the surrounding Donostialdea area, in the Basque Country, Spain. The infrastructure is gradually being upgraded to rapid transit standards, in order to create the San Sebastián Metro (Spanish: Metro de San Sebastián, Basque: Donostiako metroa). The line is commonly known as Topo (Spanish for 'mole'), due to the large number of tunnels present.[2] As of 2021, the San Sebastián suburban rail services are branded as part of the Euskotren Trena network, with no separate identity.[3][4]

San Sebastián Metro
Intxaurrondo station, 2016.
Intxaurrondo station, 2016.
Overview
OwnerEuskal Trenbide Sarea
LocaleDonostialdea (greater area of San Sebastián), Gipuzkoa, Spain
Transit type
Number of lines2
Number of stations21
Annual ridership12 million (2018)[1]
Websiteeuskotren.eus/en/tren
Operation
Began operation
Operator(s)Euskotren
Technical
System length29.8 km
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary

History

The meter-gauge line opened on December 5, 1912 between San Sebastián with Irun. It was extended to Hendaye the following year.[5] The network was subsequently owned by FEVE, the Spanish narrow-gauge railway company, until it was transferred to the Basque Government in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, it was integrated into EuskoTren, along with other narrow-gauge lines in the Basque Country.

Since the 2010s, the line has been gradually upgraded towards rapid transit standards. In 2012, together with the opening of a new tunnel between Loiola and Herrera, it was announced that the line would be renamed to Metro Donostialdea. This branding, however, has since been abandoned.[3] In 2015, a branch was opened from Herrera to Altza. This branch will be part of the new alignment between Herrera and Galtzaraborda.[6][7]

Future developments

A 4.2 km (2.6 mi) underground loop through the city centre was originally planned to open in 2022,[8][9] but is now (as of 2021) scheduled for 2025 or early 2026.[10] This new tunnel will have three stations: Benta Berri, Centro-La Concha and Easo;[11] the last one of which will substitute the current Amara terminus. When the tunnel is completed, the need to reverse at Amara will disappear.[12]

The works on the new Altza-Galtzaraborda stretch began in February 2022, with completion scheduled for 2027.[13] This new alignment will simplify operations by absorbing the Altza branch into the main line. When completed, the line will be double-tracked between Errekalde and Galtzaraborda.

Operations

There are two numbered lines: E2 and E5. Line E5 runs from Amara to Altza every 15 minutes on weekdays, and every 30 minutes during most of the weekend. Line E2 has two services: one from Lasarte-Oria to Irun, and another one from Lasarte-Oria to Hendaia; each running every 30 minutes during weekdays. The Irun to Lasarte-Oria service is reduced on weekends to a twice-hourly service from Irun to Amara on Saturday afternoons.[14] Additionally, trains running on the Bilbao-San Sebastián line call at all the stations between Errekalde and Amara.[15]

Due to the existence of various overlapping services, headways vary depending on the time of the day and location. Since 2012, with the opening of the new Loiola-Herrera tunnel, there is a train every 7.5 minutes between Amara and Herrera.[16] With the opening of the tunnel through the city center, it will be possible to offer regular headways in a longer stretch of the line.

Station list

The following table shows regular weekday service patterns. The first trains in the morning and the last in the evening make shorter trips.[14]

Trains stop at stations marked with "●" and don't stop at those marked with"｜":

Station E2 E5 Amara-Altza Location
Lasarte/Oria-Hendaia Lasarte/Oria-Irun
↑ Through-service to/from Matiko or Zumaia via the Bilbao-San Sebastián line ↑
Lasarte-Oria ● ●   Lasarte-Oria
Errekalde ● ●   San Sebastián
Añorga ● ●  
Lugaritz ● ●  
Amara ● ● ●
Anoeta ● ● ●
Loiola ● ● ●
Intxaurrondo ● ● ●
Herrera ● ● ●
Altza ｜ ｜ ●
Pasaia ● ●   Pasaia
Galtzaraborda ● ●   Errenteria
Errenteria ● ●  
Fanderia ● ●  
Oiartzun ● ●   Oiartzun
Gaintxurizketa ● ｜   Lezo
Bentak ● ●   Irun
Belaskoenea ● ●  
Irun Colon ● ●  
Irun Ficoba ●    
Hendaia ●     Hendaye

Network map

Rolling stock
Main article: Euskotren Trena § Rolling stock

The line shares rolling stock with the rest of the Euskotren Trena network. Currently, 900 series trains are used.[17][18] In the past, 200, 300 and 3500 series trains were used.[19]

See also

Notes
  1. Opening of the new Intxaurrondo and Herrera underground stations, together with the introduction of the Metro Donostialdea brand.

References
  1. "El Topo gana en Gipuzkoa un 11,6% de viajeros". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 19 January 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  2. "El Topo, historia de la línea internacional entre San Sebastián y Hendaya". Vía Libre (in Spanish). 18 January 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  3. Chico, A. (14 May 2017). "Vuelve el 'Topo' frente al 'Metro'" (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  4. "Timetables". Euskotren. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  5. "Ferrocarril Eléctrico de San Sebastián a la frontera (Ferrocarril de San Sebastián a Hendaya- El Topo)". Spanish Railway (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  6. Chico, Amaia (1 July 2021). "La variante Altza-Galtzaraborda estará acabada en 2025 y costará 64 millones". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  7. C., A. (8 August 2017). "Altza, el único ramal suelto de una línea continua". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  8. "Obras del Topo: El túnel de Miraconcha y el de la Avenida de Zarautz ya son uno". Donostitik (in Spanish). 2 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  9. Chico, Amaia (16 January 2020). "Excavada la nueva estación del Topo de Easo". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  10. Mata, Miguel Ángel (4 September 2023). "El 90% de la obra del Topo por el centro de Donostia ya está terminada". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  11. Alonso, Carolina (11 September 2021). "Finaliza la conexión entre Lugaritz y el nuevo trazado del Topo". Noticias de Gipuzkoa (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  12. "El 'Topo' de Euskotren recupera el lunes la circulación en doble vía en las inmediaciones de Lugaritz de San Sebastián". El Diario (in Spanish). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  13. Villameriel, Miguel (17 February 2022). "El Gobierno Vasco iniciará este lunes las obras de la variante soterrada del Topo Altza - Galtzaraborda". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  14. "Timetables - E2 Hendaia / Lasarte-Oria ---- E5 Altza / Amara" (PDF). Euskotren. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  15. "Timetables - E1 Amara / Matiko" (PDF). Euskotren. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  16. "Ayer entró en servicio la variante ferroviaria Loyola-Herrera de Metro de Donostialdea". Vía Libre (in Spanish). No. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  17. "Arriola ha inaugurado el primer viaje de los nuevos trenes de EuskoTren". euskotren.eus (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  18. "El Topo, historia de la línea internacional entre San Sebastián y Hendaya". Vía Libre (in Spanish). 18 January 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  19. Olaizola, Juanjo (2001). Bilbo eta Donostia arteko trenaren material motorea / Material motor del ferrocarril de Bilbao a San Sebastián (in Spanish and Basque). Bilbao: Eusko Trenbideak Ferrocarriles Vascos , S.A. pp. 143–145. ISBN 84-920629-3-2.

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