R2 (Rodalies de Catalunya)

R2
R2 Nord
R2 Sud

A 451 Series train on a R2 service at Granollers Centre railway station in 2011.
Overview
Service type	Commuter rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Barcelona metropolitan area
First service	1989 (1989)
Current operator(s)	Renfe Operadora
Ridership	125,948 (2008)[1]
Annual ridership	33.6 million (2016)[2]
Route
Termini	Sant Vicenç de Calders (R2 Sud), Castelldefels (R2), Barcelona–El Prat Airport (R2 Nord) Barcelona Estació de França (R2 Sud), Granollers Centre (R2), Maçanet-Massanes (R2 Nord)
Stops	34
Distance travelled	133 km (83 mi)[1]
Average journey time	59 min–1 h 38 min
Service frequency	Every 8–60 min
Line(s) used	Madrid–Barcelona Barcelona–El Prat Airport rail link Barcelona–Cerbère
Technical
Rolling stock	Civia, 447 Series, 450 Series and 451 Series EMUs
Track gauge	1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) Iberian gauge
Electrification	3,000 V DC overhead lines
Track owner(s)	Adif
Route map Legend Madrid–Barcelona line Sant Vicenç de Calders via Martorell Zone 6 Zone 5 Calafell Segur de Calafell Cunit Zone 5 Zone 4 Cubelles Vilanova i la Geltrú Zone 4 Zone 3 Sitges Vallcarca Garraf Zone 3 Zone 2 Platja de Castelldefels Castelldefels Gavà Viladecans Airport T1 Airport T2 (Zone 4) Zone 2 Zone 1 El Prat de Llobregat Bellvitge Gornal (Llobregat–Anoia line) to Plaça d'Espanya toward Hospitalet Torrassa ( to Hospital de Bellvitge) to Zona Universitària Santa Eulàlia Mercat Nou to Cornellà Centre Plaça de Sants via Plaça de Catalunya Barcelona Sants (Sants Estació ) to Vall d'Hebron via Plaça de Catalunya Barcelona–Vallès line to Paral·lel Passeig de Gràcia ( to Trinitat Nova) via Plaça de Catalunya Barcelona França towards Montcada Bifurcació El Clot-Aragó ( via Plaça de Catalunya) to Badalona Pompeu Fabra Sagrera (planned) via Mataró Sant Andreu Comtal | Sant Andreu Torras i Bages Trinitat Vella to Fondo Montcada i Reixac Zone 1 Zone 2 La Llagosta to Martorell Mollet-Sant Fost Montmeló Zone 2 Zone 3 Granollers Centre Les Franqueses-Granollers Nord Zone 3 Zone 4 Cardedeu Llinars del Vallès Zone 4 Zone 5 Palautordera Sant Celoni Gualba Riells i Viabrea-Breda Zone 5 Zone 6 Hostalric via Mataró Maçanet-Massanes Barcelona–Cerbère line This diagram: view talk edit

The R2 is a line of Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service, operated by Renfe Operadora. It is a major north–south 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 Barcelona–Cerbère railway, running inland through the Vallès Oriental region. South of Barcelona, it uses the conventional Madrid–Barcelona 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]

All R2 trains use the Aragó 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 Gràcia stations.^[3] The line originally had no branches, with Sant Vicenç de Calders and Maçanet-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 Barcelona–El Prat Airport and Barcelona's Estació de França. A new line scheme has been in operation ever since; the services starting or terminating at the airport run north towards Maçanet-Massanes and are designated R2 Nord ("North"), whilst the ones starting or terminating at Estació de França run south towards Sant Vicenç 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 Cercanías 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.