R7 (Rodalies de Catalunya)

R7
A Civia train on a R7 service between Cerdanyola Universitat and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat stations at Barcelona Sants railway station in 2011.
Overview
Service typeCommuter rail
StatusOperational
LocaleBarcelona metropolitan area
First service23 May 2005 (2005-05-23)
Current operator(s)Renfe Operadora
Ridership8,140 (2010)[1]
Annual ridership1,901,2014 (2010)[1]
Route
TerminiBarcelona Sant Andreu Arenal
Cerdanyola Universitat
Stops7
Distance travelled13.5 km (8.4 mi)[1]
Average journey time19 min
Service frequencyEvery 15 min–1 h
Line(s) used
Technical
Rolling stockCivia EMUs
Track gauge1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) Iberian gauge
Electrification3,000 V DC overhead lines
Track owner(s)Adif

The R7 is a line of Rodalies de Catalunya's Barcelona commuter rail service, operated by Renfe Operadora. It links Sant Andreu Arenal railway station in northern Barcelona with Cerdanyola Universitat railway station, which serves the Bellaterra campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The R7 shares tracks for most of its length with Barcelona commuter rail service lines R3 and R4, as well as regional rail line R12.[2] According to 2010 data, the line's average weekday ridership is 8,140.[1]

R7 services started operating in 2005, initially running between Martorell and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat stations, via the Vallès Occidental region. The line used most part of the Castellbisbal–Mollet-Sant Fost railway, and the entire Meridiana Tunnel through central Barcelona. It became the first passenger service to use the Castellbisbal–Mollet-Sant Fost railway, originally designed to serve as Barcelona's rail freight bypass.[3][4] In 2011, the R7 was shortened, so that it began to operate in its current configuration between Sant Andreu Arenal and Cerdanyola Universitat stations. Most part of its original route was then taken over by the R8, which came into service the same year, running between Martorell and Granollers.[5][6] In the long-term future, it is projected that the R7 will be extended southwards to Barcelona–El Prat Airport, using the Meridiana Tunnel.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d "Línia R7" [Line R7]. Rodalies de Catalunya (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Xarxa Rodalies de Catalunya" [Rodalies de Catalunya System] (PDF) (Map). Rodalies de Catalunya (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  3. ^ Recio, Alfons (31 December 2005). "Ferrocarril de rodalies C-7 El Papiol - Mollet" [Commuter rail line C-7 El Papiol - Mollet]. Territori (in Catalan). Societat Catalana d'Ordenació del Territori. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  4. ^ Arenós, Paloma (17 May 2005). "El tren deseado" [The wished train] (PDF). La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Sant Cugat del Vallès. Vivir section (p. 1). Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  5. ^ Cabañas, Néstor (31 December 2011). "Ferrocarril de rodalies Martorell - Granollers" [Martorell - Granollers commuter rail]. Territori (in Catalan). Societat Catalana d'Ordenació del Territori. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  6. ^ García i Aranzueque, Raül (5 May 2011). "R8: Nova línia de rodalies" [R8: New commuter rail line]. El Punt Avui (in Catalan). Montgat. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  7. ^ Julià Sort, Jordi (October 2013). Sagrera i la xarxa ferroviària de Barcelona [Sagrera and Barcelona's railway system] (in Catalan). Barcelona: Viena Edicions. p. 144–145. ISBN 978-84-8330-740-3.