Bilbao metro

"Metro Bilbao" redirects here. For the company that manages lines 1 and 2 of the system, see Metro Bilbao (company).
Bilbao metro
Abando station has the usual design for cavern stations.
Abando station has the usual design for cavern stations.
Overview
Native name
  • Metro de Bilbao (Spanish)
  • Bilboko metroa (Basque)
LocaleGreater Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines3
Number of stations48[a]
Annual ridership80.3 million (2022)[b]
Website
Operation
Began operation11 November 1995; 29 years ago (1995-11-11)
Operator(s)
Technical
System length51 km (31.7 mi)[c]
No. of tracks
  • 2 (mostly)
  • 1 (Urduliz–Plentzia)
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Basarrate Station (lines 1 and 2), with the characteristic "cavern" architecture that most stations have
Sarriko station (lines 1 and 2), featuring a glassed entrance
Urbinaga station (line 2), curved, in an uphill and on a viaduct

The Bilbao metro (Spanish: Metro de Bilbao, Basque: Bilboko metroa) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Lines 1 and 2 have a "Y" shape, as they transit both banks of the river Ibaizabal and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao. Line 3 has a "V" shape connecting the municipality of Etxebarri with the Bilbao neighbourhood of Matiko; the apex of the "V" is Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo station, where all three current lines meet. The metro is connected with the Bilbao tram, Bilboko Aldiriak (commuter rail services), Euskotren Trena (commuter rail services), Feve (commuter rail services, regional and long-distance trains), Renfe long-distance trains, and Bilbao's bus station (Bilbao Intermodal). All three lines use metre gauge.

As of 2021, the Metro operates on 51 kilometers (32 mi) of route, with 48 stations. It is the third-busiest metro in Spain, after the Madrid and Barcelona metro systems.[citation needed]

The system was inaugurated in 1995, partially taking over a suburban railway line operated by Euskotren, first opened in 1887.[5] A second line was added in 2002, running together with line 1 within Bilbao, and then serving towns along the left bank of the Ibaizabal-Nervion estuary.[6] Line 3, operated by Euskotren, opened in 2017.[7] Unlike the first two lines, which form an isolated system, line 3 is operated jointly with the Euskotren Trena commuter railway network.[8][9]

  1. ^ a b c "Metro in figures". Metro Bilbao. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b R. Viñas, Sergio (7 April 2017). "Metro Bilbao amplía su servicio 279 millones de euros después". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  3. ^ Sáez, Olga (11 January 2020). "El cliente diario lleva a Metro Bilbao a alcanzar su récord histórico de viajeros". Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Datos de movilidad en el transporte público en Bizkaia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Biscay Transport Consortium. p. 74. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  5. ^ Uriarte, Iñaki (11 November 2020). "25 años del Metro Bilbao". naiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Metro de Bilbao Línea 2". Euskal Trenbide Sarea (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  7. ^ García, Josu (2017-04-08). "Miles de personas dan la bienvenida a la Línea 3". El Correo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  8. ^ Iturralde, Mikel (24 September 2017). "Bilbao va sobre ruedas". El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Desde hoy, los trenes de Bermeo de Euskotren llegan al centro de Bilbao". Vía Libre (in Spanish). 9 September 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2021.


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