Yeah, pretty much it's Mini Metro with the mode where you can't change existing lines, we just kept and keep extending lines to meet demand, that's why they're so squiggly
@RMTransit I just got back from Barcelona and the metro through me off, our closest station was a different name on the map compared to the wall, it threw me off and was not well designed in my opinion.
Barcelona's urban planning is definitely unique! Heck, they PIONEERED it! Barcelona's Ildefons Cerdà was the guy who coined the term urbanization and changed the way we think about cities! Constricted by its medieval walls, Barcelona was suffocating as its population overflowed and couldn't handle the density with high mortality rates, until the then unknown Ildefons came up with a radical expansion plan. His plan consisted of a grid of streets that would unite the old city with seven peripheral villages (which later became integral Barcelona neighborhoods such as Gràcia and Sarrià). The united area was almost four times the size of the old city (which was around 2 sq km) and would come to be known as Eixample. Cerdà decided to avoid repeating past errors by undertaking a comprehensive study of how the working classes lived in the old city. He concluded that, among other things, the narrower the city’s streets, the more deaths occurred. He added gardens in each block, made sure access to services for the rich and poor were equal, and made room for smooth-flowing traffic. The octagonal blocks, chamfered in the corners, were his unique idea to deal with traffic, allowing drivers to see more easily what was happening to the left and right. Cars of course didn't exist then, but when he learned about trains, he figured there would be some sort of thing powered by steam that would use the streets. His gravestone, fittingly, is a model of the Eixample.
I just got back from Barcelona and the closest station to me was ill defo cueda but it said on the wasn't cued de justicia, I didn't like the Barcelona metri as it could take 4 different trains to get to one point, wich compared to tfl is intherior
I use FGC's Metro del Vallès on a daily basis and to say it's fantastic would be an understatement. From Sant Cugat Centre to Plaça Catalunya, a train arrives at each station every 2 and a half minutes during rush hour (which is the absolute limit, they literally wouldn't be able to fit any more trains even if they wanted to) and every 5 minutes at the branches. In the last year, I've only seen 2 delays: one because of someone who jumped into the tracks and one because of a mechanical fault. The Metro del Vallès line is able to run metro frequencies whilst being a suburban rail network, which I find neat!
I'm from Barcelona and I never thought that it was that confusing for tourist, but at least you can get arround all this lines and services with only one card and not one for every system. At this moment ther are a lot of work beig done and the services are getting better and better, i've traveled a lot in Europe and for me at least Barcelona's metro network is the best one, nice carts, high frequency, nice to ride, easy to read the signals and get arround, the majority of the system is adapted for handicap people. You should try it.
And as a rail-worker on an IT-systems department for one of the operators on this video, and since I'm specialized in software usability, we're doing big improvements to keep all the information systems beyond the state-of-the-art among rail operators. One of my secrets is traveling and getting inspired by other mass transits on the World. One of this systems was presented during Smart City expo last november.
@@Oriol123456 Estàs a TMB?? Ho dic perquè he vist les noves pantalles de les 7000 i 8000 i el que han fotut a la L5 de Sants que et diu com de ple va el tren i té molt bona pinta!!!
I really don't get why so many public transit systems are considered "confusing". I genuinely think that many people weren't taught to read maps or charts.... I've never gotten lost on a subway anywhere in the world. the exception is having to get off a train and walk in NY because I didn't check the schedule and missed the last train I had to switch to. I was in Barcelona and walked a lot but the metro was very useful for quick transit like to park Güell
I know the subway (NYC) like the back of my hand, but I can understand that people from other cities (or not from a city at all) might find it confusing.
I have been to Barcelona many times, and I never had an issue navigating the system TBQH. But then I am a big-city kid, having been born and raised in Berlin, and having learned to navigate public transit from an early age.
@@MartinIbert actually that might have a lot to do with it.... I didn't consider that before. it would make a lot of sense for early exposure of this nature to prime a brain to understand this style of informational systems. I've also only ever lived in larger cities and have been taking transit since time in memoriam so it tracks. Thanks for the thought!
@@Urbanhandyman that's interesting. I'm now curious to see if the places I've traveled have stayed relatively consistent in the approach to their respective transit logic systems.
Civil engineering student from Barcelona here. L1 uses the OLD Iberian gauge at 1674mm and not 1668mm. And the "Spanish Solution" here called the "Barcelona Solution" is used in L6 at Muntaner and Bonanova stations as well and possibly more that I don't remember.
So interesting! I love the public transport in Barcelona. It's fast and very efficient. Here in Munich, we have three stations in the city centre operated by the S-Bahn metro with the so called "spanische Lösung" (Spanisch solution), namely at Central Station, Stachus and Marienplatz. Other stations are coming with the future secore core route with this same solution too, like at Marienhof (behind Marienplatz).
Barcelona metro was so nice to navigate through, i cant see why it might be confusing, i stayed there for 6months and i have to say you can go mostly everywhere and anywhere very easily there's signs everywhere amd even in grand stations like urqinaona catalunya and españa, where you kinda take a journey for your preferred stop its always a delight to go through. Very well made and beginner friendly for anybody id say❤
One interesting fact you missed: This year, the UNLIMITED monthly pass, which includes BUS, FGC, TRAM, RENFE etc. transfers was discounted by 50%, so people who use it pay only 20€ per month
As a really frequent user of L5, there aren't stations that have the Spanish solution, only a couple island platforms and most of them are separate platforms. I've ridden the full line, and I haven't seen the Spanish Solution implemented on L5? I might be wrong but as a frequent user of L5, pretty sure I haven't seen it at all, and I've ridden the full line from Vall d'Hebron to Cornella Centre multiple times...
@@luckyone4000 Same here, and there's a metro map that includes all platforms (search for cartometro) that doesn't show L5 with Spanish Solution. BUT, L6 does have 2 stations with Spanish Solution :)
11:00 Fun fact; the L12 shuttle line is there mostly because it's mostly a school train; the area between Pedralbes and Sarrià (served by the Reina Elisenda station) is among the top 5 areas in Europe in school density. There are more than 15 schools in a 15 minute walk radius from the station.
I just find amusing how Barcelona's street layout is for the most part straight regular grid, and their Metro lines are the classic example of spaghetti
@nosoloporno69 yep, those gaps are covered by the incredible bus network (unironically, it really is impressive), but it would be nice to finally extend the metro in those places :)
I literally am visiting Barcelona right now. I don’t get the confusion with the Metro, especially with the help of a Maps app which typically feature where the lines go and ofc there’s indicators inside the cars so you know what stop you’re at. The spaghetti does look quite daunting I’ll admit.
I studied abroad to here last semester and the metro itself is INCREDIBLY easy to figure out. Especially considering they include colors and numbers everywhere.
Both the Sagrada Familia and Park Güel served as inspiration for parts of Mesagoza in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. Montjuïc was the perfect setting for the 1992 Olympic Park. Not only because the main stadium was already built there in 1927 (when Barcelona made a bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics; losing to Berlin), but also because Montjuïc is the birthplace of the city and its strategic location on the Mediterranean and the Llobregat River has made it significant throughout history. So what better way to show the tourists what Barcelona is all about than to have them all gather at a place of huge significance. Fun fact, Montjuïc means Jewish Mountain in medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery was discovered there. Construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect. By the time he passed in 1926, less than a quarter of it was complete. The project has gone through so much from the Spanish Civil War to anarchists partially destroying his original plans. But it has continued, and Barcelona has something to be proud of. The construction of the Sagrada Família shows what it means to never give up!
A follow-up looking at the Rodalies network would be good. This is also quite unconventional for a suburban rail network as it has one line (the R3) which is mostly single-track once it leaves the city centre, and which extends (albeit only a handful of trains per day) high into the Pyrenees and over the border into France at Latour-de-Carol.
Finally, my city. Just a few things (that I've mentioned in other answers). -The large number of operators in not confusing as there is an integrated fare system, so what's important is not the operator but weather the line takes you where you need to go. Integrated fares includes the metro, tram, Suburban/regional trains, buses and two (of the 3) funiculars. Only if you plan to leave the huge zone one (that includes the entire city and a few nearby cities and towns) you'll need an integrated card for more zones (6 zones in total, divided into sub zones - with the exception of zone one, and a 7th special one that works differently for residents). -The FGC S1 and S2 stop now at all stations they pass through in the city. They also serve as a local metro at the edge of each branch with 4 underground stations in Terrassa (S1) and 5 underground stations in Sabadell (S2). -L4 is about to get a new 66m Euros signaling system, that will support future automation. -The connection between the two sections of the tram is under construction. phase 1 is under construction and due to open in March 2024 and the tender to build the second phase was awarded and construction should start in January 2024 and will finish the connection. -For the Rodalies Regional rail, there is a plan to dig a new tunnel under the entire Avinguda Diagonal (11 km) as the current Rodalies track are saturated with no room for expansion.
Everything totally true, but the Diagonal tunnel is faaaaaar from confirmed to be happening. It will have to eventually, but maybe not through the Diagonal.
The tunnel of the Diagonal is just in studying, and renfe before that wants to remodel the services making R1 operate at the southern section of R2, R2 operating the southern section of R4, R3 operating the new line they want to open from L’Hospitalet to Castelldefels and R4 operating the branch to the airport, connecting Vallès with the Airport also, that all would allow to both tunnels to have a larger capacity and to make the 3rd tunnel later
I visited Barcelona 6 years ago, and don't remember the details at all. But my wife & I actually found the Barcelona Metro system super easy and convenient. And neither of us speak/read Spanish very well. We were staying in a hotel near the airport and were able to get to the Sagrada Familia in like 20 minutes with two transfers, and it was our first time using it. I find using the D.C. Metro far more confusing, because its signage is terrible. I've been using it regularly for more than a decade, and if I get off at a stop I don't normally use, I'm usually baffled and it takes me a while to figure out where I need to go. The signage in the part of Barcelona's Metro that we used was super clear and easy to follow. Not to mention, the longest we waited for a train was maybe 3 or 4 minutes. You're very lucky in D.C. if you wait for less than 10. It's the only time I've used it, and maybe we hit on a really good day. But I thought it was fantastic and often mention the Barcelona Metro system when I sing the praises of European public transit.
@@hypernewlapse well, it's in Catalan as in Madrid signage is in Spanish and in China it's in Chinese. Is it a problem that signage is in the language of the place it serves?? Also, in most places signage is in Catalan, and then Spanish and English just below and a bit smaller, so I don't really see what's the problem there.
@@jabeztomer wow!!! Definitely they don't now hahahaha. This things shock me, as it's been a looooong time since smoking has been banned on closed spaces (not including your home of course, there you do what you want)
I'm always excited when I see Reece's newest video, then get sad when the video ends, but also inspired and wanting to go to these places. Thanks again for making my day! Can't wait for the next one!
Man... As my home city, I tend to use the metro a lot, not for methods of travelling, but enjoyment. It's just such a large system but yet really compact, that the fact that you can ride around the network for hours without getting bored, as there are so many different lines, trains and operators. It's genuinely a privilege to be able to live in Barcelona, as such well organized system can't be found in not that many places. L9/L10, If you ever ride the Southern Branches, enjoy the terrific english announcements, the voice is quite funny at times (The Tri-Language announcement which play on L9S/L10S do not play on L9N/L10N as it's meant for airport passengers, as the Southern section goes to the Airport). By the way, L1 does not stop at Sants Estació, but at Plaça de Sants, which is a horribly long interchange with a ton of stairs to get to L5. However, that doesn't beat the interchange you have to do at Passeig de Gracia between L3/Rodalies and L2/L4. It takes an average of 5 minutes, if you ever visit, try to avoid it, as it's just long and tedious (because it has to avoid a car park). Okay now that I've said what I had to say, I'm grateful you did an explainer video on Barcelona, it's been a couple of years of anticipating this video, and honestly, you did a great job describing it, you got the information right. (And I have to agree, FGC logo looks nice and simple, the old orange one is similar just more rough as the curves weren't rounded but the new green one is pretty amazing, however it doesn't match with FGC's Liveries which did match with the old orange logo). P.S. I'm pretty sure it's North and South, not East and West in terms if you are talking about L9 and L10 (Since technically one is in the North and one in the South)
Yeah, Sants Estació and the metro interchange is often compared to Paris Gare Montparnasse and its super long metro interchange. Plus, both stations are not exactly architectural beauties but rather a pair of terrible eyesores. I love Barcelona, got a few friends there that use the metro but aren't particularly interested in it, so I'll ask you as they have no clue : do you think the central part of lines 9/10 will ever be finished ? Soon ? I'm asking because a couple urbex videos showed an abandoned tunnel with a an abandoned TBM going derelict. Presumably lines 9 and 10's central tunnel. (Check my recent comment under this video for the titles as I can't post links). What's your take on that ? I'm worried it won't get built completely anytime soon, if ever. And do you know what happened for the builders to ditch a multi-million euro TBM and tunnel like that ? Greetings from Paris!
@@KyrilPG FIrst section of the central tunnels are planned to open in Early 2025, which include the stations of Sagrera TAV, La Sagrera, Guinardo | Hospital de Sant Pau and Lesseps. Then in 2028, the stations of Camp Nou, Sarriá, Madri, Sanllehy and Maragall would open, having trains now running through the whole tunnel, as for 2025, L9N/L10N will run up to Lesseps while L9/L10S will still terminate at Zona Universitaria and Collblanc respectively. Then on the last phase, probably 2029 or 2030, the stations of Campus Nord, Manuel Girona and El Putxet would open as infills. Also, stations such as Prat de la Riba and Muntanya have been planned for the future. The Northern TBM has finished it's job, while the Souther TBM is expect to reach Sarria this summer (2023) and then Lesseps in December 2024, completing the tunnel. Yes the project had been on hold for more than a decade due to financial issues, but now it's back on track, with the first section opening in just a couple of years. Actually, I rather compare the Passeig de Gracia and Plaça de Sants interchange to the Gare Saint Lazare. As they are equally as bad and as long. Sants Estació is bearable, but the ones at Plaça de Sants and Passeig de Gracia, and even Urquinaona are hellish.
@@luckyone4000 OK, that's reassuring to read but then what's with the abandoned tunnel and TBM that were still in a state of dereliction as recently as 6 months ago ? Perhaps even more recently. Did they changed their minds about one particular tunnel and abandoned it and the TBM to change the project ? Or did they experienced catastrophic conditions that forced them to ditch the tunnel and TBM in order to dig another route ? Some of the videos in question show warning panels written in both castellano and catalan, so there's no doubt it's in Barcelona and given the width of the tunnel it's certainly L9/L10. Some other videos explicitly state it's Barcelona's L9 central tunnel. Do you have any info about that ? Everything I find is contradictory. Have a look at some of the videos I mentioned, the TBM looks unsalvageable, with parts rotten by rust in an extremely humid environment and calcium / limestone (or sulfur?) baby stalactites and thick traces beginning to form... The front of the cutting wheel is facing what looks like a concrete wall and the whole area in front of the TBM is flooded with water reaching a substantial height. Plus, the tunnel is at a depth of roughly 75 to 95 meters, so that's consistent with L9/L10 central tunnel's depth. From everything that I've found online, some say that it has been announced by authorities in June 2022 that work on L9 had resumed. The announcement came only 2 days after a video by The Proper People (an American urbex team) showing the abandoned tunnel and TBM was published to a large viewership. That's quite a convenient timing. But there's a problem with that announcement : First, the TBM shown in the video was in such a state that it's absolutely impossible to believe it has resumed digging in such a short time, if at all, after standing still for 11+ years, rotting in high humidity and stripped of its computers, etc. And 2nd, another video published only a few months ago, months *after* the announcement, showed the TBM in an even worse state of delapidation, so if digging work has resumed, it's not that TBM. Are the announcements about the completion of line 9 believable ? Or are the authorities a "tad bit' overly optimistic when they say the TBM has resumed digging when clearly it hasn't ? Or simply wishful thinking and empty words to avoid public scrutiny ? Because the announcements are obviously not consistent with the images in the various videos by urban explorers. That's why I'm worried. L9/L10 central tunnel is such a great project but it seems to be riddled with problems and that's not good when official announcements are contradicted by on-site videos. Did the authorities published images or videos of the works resuming ? As for the interchange comparison : Gare Saint Lazare, really ? Interchange there isn't very long for most connections, except if you change between RER lines A & E or between Metro & RER *and* use the incorrect Metro station as the complex is so huge that it is served by multiple stations of the same Metro lines, respectively 3 stations of line M3 and 2 stations of line M9. Metro stations there are grouped : Saint-Lazare / Saint-Augustin section has M3, M9, M12, M13, M14 and RER E ; Havre Caumartin section has M3, M9 and RER A (Auber Northwestern side) ; and Opera section has M3, M7, M8 and RER A (Auber Southeastern side). In most cases you can avoid the lengthy connections. On the other hand, in Gare Montparnasse there are M4 & M12 where the original train station was located, then M6 & M13 closer to the location of the modern station and then further South is the train station itself and its many Transilien suburban trains and TGV's. Because there's only one station per line serving the interchange complex, many connections there require a good walk. That's why they had a multi-speed high-speed travelator for years in the main interchange tunnel. The special travelator could have been the unique subject of hours of "fail videos" because so many people fell on it as they did not follow or simply did not understand the instructions for the speed transitions. So it was removed due to the high number of accidents and complaints and was replaced by a normal travelator. When I had to use Montparnasse train station coming from the North I either used M4, overshot Montparnasse to Raspail station to connect with line M6 and back to Montparnasse as M6 station is the closest one to the mainline train platforms. Or I used RER B to Denfert Rochereau and hopped on M6 to Montparnasse. Anything to avoid the super long tunnel connection between M4, M12 and the mainline train station side of Montparnasse complex.
@@KyrilPG lol what a long comment hahahaha I've just responded you on another comment, but just in case... There are 2 TBM machines :) That one is abandoned and they'll sell it as scrap metal. The other one's again digging. You can actually hear how they move dirt to the extraccion point from Z.Universitaria station!!!
Actually the TBM on the north isn't abandoned, well it's no longer used as it has finished doing its work. However, since it hasn't moved for over a decade, it's safe to assume that it's getting scrapped as anyways, after a decade, it tends to wear out. So yes, I'm pretty sure it's getting scrapped, but they souther TBM is working hard and planned to reach Sarria this Summer, and Lesseps in December 2024, completing the tunnels.
I have never found the Barcelona system particularly confusing, either on my recent visit or the one I made over a decade ago. But there is a lot. The most surprising moment was probably when I transferred from the Rodalies de Catalunya train (from Salou-PortAventura) to the Barcelona metro at Passeig de Gracia, and was unexpectedly faced with an exit gate where I had to scan my train ticket to get out (having assumed I would no longer need it). As a transit geek I love that the Montjuïc funicular is functionally part of the regular metro system.
The system works like this: for services that stay into one tariff zone (metro) you only scan when you enter. This is also true on buses and Trams. For services that go through different zones (that means, FGC and Rodalies, without including buses which I've already mentioned) you also validate your ticket at the exit, so that they can check how many zones you travelled and if you paid what you had to. But even on the metro, Tram ans buses you MUST preserve your ticket till you leave it, as an inspector/security guard could ask you to show him your ticket to see if it's valid or if you've illegally got into the train
@@pizzaipinya2442 Makes sense. I was surprised because of course it had worked differently in the other direction--a conductor checked tickets on the train, and the platform at Salou-PortAventura was just a typical commuter-rail station open to the street. But on the way back, no conductor ever checked tickets on the train, instead they relied on the exit gate downtown to do the validation after I got off the train. I had a tense minute or so trying to figure out which pocket I had that ticket jammed into (a complicated situation, since I'd been riding big roller coasters at the theme park and had been stashing all sorts of things in zippered pockets so they wouldn't go flying--I'd been short on euro coins for the lockers, and at least one coaster, Stampida, didn't have bins on the loading platform).
@@MattMcIrvin don't worry, it always happens!! Even for locals like me, if we are used to the metro, we sometimes forget we must validate at the exit hahahah
@@pizzaipinya2442 I grew up with the Washington, DC Metro, where you need to do this for every trip because even the subway has variable pricing based on trip length. So it's a thing I should have been used to...
I love Barcelonas transit system. Absolutley amazing. Could you do an explainer video on the transit system in La Paz, Bolivia? It's such a unique system and we could learn a lot from it.
Love this video! I use multiple of these rail systems daily (TMB L3, Tram and Rodalias R1), and find it explains the system very well! A follow-up video of Rodalias and Renfe is a must, cause even though the system that keeps Barcelona connected works wonderfully (TMB, FCG & Tram), I think its a very different story for Rodalias' and Renfe's services. I wait impatiently for a video covering the topic. Good job!
I truly don’t understand why you’re calling this the most confusing subway system. I was there at the beginning of the month and it was truly one of the easiest public transit systems I’ve ever used. I really don’t get how you got to this claim.
@@Urbanhandyman Exactly, it’s just a title - it’s a good system but I do legitimately think truly understanding it can be hard since you have multiple operators, crazy alignments and the whole 9-10 situation.
@@RMTransit yeah that’s fair I wrote this before watching lmao. Great video. Didn’t use the 9/10 trains often but they were definitely the most “confusing” if I had to pick one.
Last year I was in Barcelona, traveled into it through the R from a tourist city north of Barcelona. I must say as someone from Germany who is used to (relatively) good and big public transport/metros I was still surprised how many lines and connections the system had. It is very extensive, witch is great but as a disadvantage it is not so easy to understand, especially as a foreigner.
Finally!!!!!!! I love our metro in Barcelona, but I admit it can be confusing if you're not a local hahahahha I'm just starting the video, but I know it'll ve awesome, I'll point out any little mistakes I find :) 3:50 Fun fact: That's because L1 was meant to connect train stations at both sides of the city, that's the reason of the different gauge :) 8:20 Here we are all fans of FGC, it's the greatest rsil company: all trains arrive on time, no graffiti... some things are still wrong, but the positive parts overcome the negatives by far!!!
Yasss I love fgc ever since I moved here 8 months ago. Silent trains, fast, cool stations and cool train designs. They also have the train times all the time unlike in TMB that's announcements 95% jajajja
Gotta correct you with the FGC... You know FGC is kinda going downhill, and the fact that they want to spend a ton of money to buy the R12 from Rodalies, and also the fact that they operate the line from Lleida to La Pobla de Segur which is not profitable, at all, pretty much the reason RENFE gave that line to FGC is because RENFE didn't want to run it anymore, as it barely made any profit. FGC operates good, but in terms of finance, they are quite bad at it, which could lead to their downfall in the future. Tho FGC still fun to ride.
@@luckyone4000actually, FGC is one of those few rail companies that's profitable! Yes, the Lleida-La Pobla was a really unprofitable line, but nowadays ridership has most than doubled since the years of Renfe, and the touristic trains the line offers help making it not that unprofittable. On the other hand, FGC operates tons of ski resorts (la Molina, Núria, Port Ainé, Espot...) and touristic train services (Montserrat funiculars and rack railway, Núria again, the Tren del Ciment...) which are all huuuuugely profitable and give FGC lots of benefits. They'll have a problem if temperatures continue rising and they start lacking snow xd
In 3:40 it seems like L1 connects to Sants station, but it doesn’t. It stops at Plaça de Sants, which is a station far away from Sants Estació, that serves the Sants barriade
Pound for Pound when comparing Transport Systems of the Top 3 cities of the country to each other (in this case Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia) I believe Spain could take down anyone in Europe apart from maybe Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, München)
Germany doesn't have good transit, always overcrowded, late or otherwise not properly working. You can find good transit in places like downtown Paris and London
@@osasunaitor but inside the city it’s quite bad. The trams come every 15 mins in rdam, which makes switching lines a real hassle. Ofc, the advantage is that you can go anywhere with the bike, but if I only had public transport then I wouldn’t consider it the best by a long mile.
@@jan-lukas the transit in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich (and I would add Frankfurt to this list too) works pretty well! Here in Munich, there's a lot of disruption now but it's for a good reason, since they are building a lot right now. The only problem we got here, is that everything takes too long to be built.
Hey, men! I have been living in Barcelona since I was 6 years old, and at the begging of the video was thinking like: this guy probably doesn't know what is talking about. And now I finish the video I understand better the metro line I have in my city and I can not believe how in the school at high school they never spoke about the metro line we have. But the only thing the u don't talk about is the user experience. In one day of work, I spend around 2 hours to travel from my house to my work space. And it is important to said, the most "tourists" line are the one they have the better look's and better maintenance. Insane video! Congrats
@@DANKO1499 which are those? I can only think about the lines that go through the center, L3 and L2. One is great, the other is... definitely a line. The lines are better or worse depending on its age, not how touristy they are (at least that's what I think) :)
Barcelona public transport system It's amazing. As a frequent user of FGC Vallès I have to say that is probably one of the best suburban public transport system on the world.
Loved the video! Just one quick comment: the footage that is shown Les Rambles are mentioned is actually La Rambla del Poblenou! There are many different rambles in Barcelona, as it is a type of street, like an avenue or a boulevard.
FGC suburban services to Terrassa and Sabadell are not suburban railways anymore, they are currently metro services stopping at all stations running every 5 minutes named “Metro del Vallès”
The letters next to the numbers are identifiers too (L1 -> line 1 of metro // R2 -> Rodalies 2 // ...), and i think that the Barcelona public transportation system is better understood if you look at the entire history (the city expansion and it's natural limitations with the mountains, the Cerdà's layout and now even political implications on each update of it's system).
Great video, complete and entertaining, as a citizen of this beautiful city I can assure you that this system is a real lifesaver and love it's efficiency. An interesting fact is that L5 only runs by newer trains as well as L2 L9 and L10, the rest of the L ones, (not FGC) operate on both old and new trains and it's frequency is notably lower. Also even that they are not metro, the Tram system is included on all metro tickets and is quite interesting too.
Wow, Barcelona's transit system is truly amazing! I've used it and didn't think it was confusing but definitely many options from point A to B. By the way, I think Lines 8 and 9 of BCN are *very* similar in construction method to São Paulo's Line 4, stark resemblance!
Fantastic video, fascinating. In addition to the video is worth to say that recently the works to connect both tramway lines have been started. The tracks will be on Diagonal Avenue, one of the main streets of the city.
Nice Video, as always. But in Barcelona there also is the Tram, a whole other story... it's separated into two networks, runs on its own right of way (and even has some tunnels) but surprisingly has a lot of single tracked sections. It's also not operated by TMB, which makes it NOT fare integrated with the metro unless you buy a combined ticket... and with the expansion to "Verdaguer" opening soon, the system will switch between overhead wires and 3rd rail power during regular service. Maybe it deserves a Video on its own :)
Agree on everything except that the fare is indeed integrated (as far as I know at least, you can't buy an only metro or only tram ticket, this only happens at commuter trains (Rodalies)) :)
Careful because not all the data you're giving on the Barcelona-Vallès line is actually precise. The line was electrified on 600V DC and converted to international gauge from Barcelona to Sarrià on the 10s. The extension of the line to Sabadell and Terrassa (Vallès region) was already built in standard gauge and electrified on 1200V DC on the 20s-30s. Nowadays all the line operates on 1500V DC. Also, the segment between Sarrià and Reina Elisenda was built in 1976.
It would have been cool if you also talked a bit about the TRAM lines, which also cover a great part of the city, and has two separated branches (as FGC does) that are being connected. A really cool video as always!
The only reason why the two tram systems in Barcelona haven't been tied up yet is the opposition of residents and business owners on Av. Diagonal to having tracks placed in the street. On the broad-gauge part of TMB's network, it is interesting to note that until a few years ago, there was a track connection between TMB and RENFE at Plaça Catalunya. This was used mainly to deliver equipment, there is a picture of a RENFE switching loco sitting on TMB track to prove it.
Very interesting. I never thought that Barcelona had so many lines, you should do a video on the Gothenburg tram network in Sweden, it is surprisingly complex for a relatively small population.
Hi! I'm from Barcelona and I can't say FGC is a metro system but a local train. We don't use it as a metro. It depends on the catalan government (Generalitat) and Metro depends on the city hall (Ajuntament). They are two different types of transportation. And Rodalies (another local train net) depends on the country government (Gobierno de España). But only our Metro is used as a metro net. On the other hand, great video!
Well, lots of people use it as part of the metro, I mean, no one uses L7 as a suburban, and frequencies joining L6, S1 and S2 make to metro frequencies even when it's not rush hour. L8's case could be not considered metro because of the distance between stations, but it depends on your criteria... To sum it up, I think the Valles line is really a metro on its urban part, the Llobregat line... could not be
@@xavichuvy9047 We really don't use it as a metro at all, no. I think they're trying to coin the expression "metro" so that when Barcelona finally absorbs us, we'll have gotten used to it and won't complain.
Great video! just a comment, the Tram is not splitted on East/West but based on the rivers (Llobregat/Besós) and would be more accurate to say North/South :)
I have been in Barcelona twice. Believe me it is way better than the Rome metro system. The trains are clean, not overcrowded, on time, frequent and easily accessible to nearly every part of the city. Kudos to the city planners and engineers for designing such efficient metro system.
I was there in May 2024, and it was an incredible system. Super intuitive, and very convenient. Loved it. Especially coming from Miami where subways are non existent and public transport is a joke.
Line 4 in today's year had to divide into 2 L4 lines. L4A: trinitat nova-verdaguer L4B: la pau-barceloneta. Urquinaona stations are closed due to this divition by renovation issues
There's only one underground (metro) system/operator, not two. But there are two regional train operators (FGC and RENFE). No different than you would find in other cities like London. Just because a train goes underground for part of its journey it doesn't mean it's part of the underground/metro system. Apples and oranges. That's probably why you find it confusing, because you assume FGC and RENFE are part of the metro system, when they're not.
Originally L4 (yellow) did reach almost the end of L2 (purple) and the rest of the L2 line wasn't used (but parts of it were build in the 60s, 70s and 90s). L2 was inaugurated in the 59, but closed in the 1970, and reopened again the year 1995 and in the 2001 the last stations of L4 were transferred to L2 reaching the current shape in 2010.
@@AngelBadal Creo que no nos hemos entendido, hablaba de la denominación L2 (que estubo años sin usarse) y del trazado de la Nueva_L2 (que habian partes construidas y otras no construidas) y que el tramo La Pau-Badalona pasó de la L4 a la Nueva_L2.
If the train gas already emitted a loud "beep beep beep...", it going to depart no matter how hard you press the button xd. But another will arrive in less than 2-3 minutes if it's rush hour, so never mind :)
Having lived in Barcelona I think the metro is great, but in terms of easily finding out where to go I very much prefer Oslo’s way of just running every service through the same stations. While there’s probably a limit to how large a city you can support with such a system, it’s really nice being able to just show up at a platform and know that eventually any one service will show up
@@pizzaipinya2442 Given the city’s shape roughly resembles that of a crescent moon, the shortest distance between any two points often ends up going through the city centre anyway. Most that don’t are so short that it’s a 15 minute bus ride at most. There is one circle line but it serves more to connect between different tram and metro services.
Barcelonian here and I am used to the system, but I'd say would be lovely to include the Rodalies / Train system next. This is the trickiest and it mades everything a bit more confussing as it goes along with all the rest of lines. For me FGC is not a metro service and will never be, as most likely all it's lines go or come from or to other cities. And is not TMB related, which is Metro. Plus FGC is punctual and reliable. As a passenger those are the best lines you'll use. Metro is fine, but it keeps failing from time to time, and in big touristy waves you can see that lines like L4 bring back old metros/cars from the 1990's as the demand increases. Its funny but also a bit "creepy" (why not replacing them with better/newer units?). I do remember the transition from older machines/trains in the 80s-90's to the ones in the 2000's and also some of those old 90's early 2000's trains that are in use in summer time bring some special smell that is quite characteristic. Overall the system can improve, the lines are not very specially well design in the idea of speed and best routes (check the oldest line, L3 and instead of going from Lesseps to Catalunya and then run to the University Part of the city in Diagonal straight on, it just keeps doing silly moves around Les Rambles, Paral.lel, etc....). I guess this was not seing as this in the years where they built newer stations. Also to add that there are floadable stations like at the end of L4 that yearly are floaded by water and need to be closed 1 or 2 months to add machines to take out the water from there (maybe not that well designed overall?) or stops like El Carmel in L5 or El Coll also in L5 (new ones or some of the newer ones) that are so down into the ground that users need to use elevators instead of automatic stairs or regular stairs, in order to reach the surface. And about the El Carmel issues when creating the L5 stop.... that's another story but many appartment blocks fall off.
Actually: - Some lines operated with third rail until overhead current was expanded to all the system (and later subtituted by overhead rail insted of cable). Surprisingly, line 3 from Gracia to Paralel used to operate with overhead cable. In these station people had to switch trains to the ones operated with third rail. I would say that happened until the early 1980s. And indeed they changed again the system some years later. - Line 1 operates in old spanish gauge 1674mm instead of modern spanish gauge 1668mm. It was originally intended to be a railroad connection between Bordeta (trains to the south) to "Norte", nowadays and approximately Arc de Trionf (trains to the north and France) - Line 2 is somehow a strange line, as some parts were build during the 1960s and integrated in other lines, as the part from Sagrada Familia to more or less Horta (to line 5) and the part from La Verneda to Badalona wich was integrated in line 4 but returned few decades ago. The southern part of the line consists of two independent TBM tunnels, and trains run on their left from Paralel to the curve under the crossing of Gran Via and Marina streets; this is to allow a curve with enough radius but not interfering under any private land. - World fair was in 1929 - The stub from line III now integrated in line 4 happens to run though the oldest tunnels of all the system. When opening Via Laietana, a new street crossing the old town, the city council also thought on building tunnels under it, even with some stations. This scheme was unfinished, tunnels had to be completed when integrated to Gran Metro, but left us with an unfinished ghost stop sometimes called Beatas, some other times called Banco. Some urband legend even says that the Bank of Spain building nearby used this station to send money to other banks. - Line 2 and 5 are switched from its original designs in Sagrada Familia. Right after this station, going north, line 5 has its ghost station called Gaudí. Sometimes it's used to hold adds. Also in line 5 happened the Carmel sinking, when building an extension of the line caused the collapse of several buildings above. - FGC Vallès line is quite competitve and permanently improving. Meanwhile, Llobregat line has its problems. It's not very competitve with car or bus in its suburban services to Manresa and Igualada. But it keeps moving potash, salt and Seat cars.
GREAT comment!!! They say that now that FGC Valles works at its peak and is "completed/perfected" they will center their efforts on the L-A line, hope it's true... :)
I'm currently living and studying in Barcelona and it's metro system is very impressive.. One negative point I'd say is that transfers at Urquinaona, Espanya, Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, etc are pretty inconvenient. They have 1km+ long tunnels which is a bit annoying.. Other than that it's a great system !
1km is exagerating xd. I think the longest is Passeig de Gracia, which is about 250m, still pretty anoying. This is the worst point of the system: the transfers. And the ultradeep stations of the L9 are creating the super-long escalator transfers, which are also... not good, to say the least
@@dez7800 noooooooooooooo!!! I'm sorry for you if you have to make one of those on rush hour!! Luckily I only have to make the Collblanc escalators to L9...
dude at 9:30 lost the train lmao, great explanation of the network, i live really close to barcelona myself and even tho i cycled everywhere i do remember seeing sub entrances everywhere and thinking how easy it might be to go across the city using them
For me at least the only problem with Barcelona's metro are L9 ridiculously low speeds. It takes forever to go from the airport to the city center. You spend 30 min on the train, slowly dragging itself through the line's curvy alignment, hearing the same 3 PA announcements over and over again.
They could have made it straight to the airport, but you know, politicians doing their thing, making the metro do spaghettis to serve a place that doesn't even exist now xd They should have made it straight and build a tram in El Prat city...
Thank you Reece for a very interesting video! But with the multiplicity of operators (and forms of transport in Barcelona) what is the position re integrated ticketing. According to Schwandl's 'Tram Atlas Spain' published back in 2015 'Except for single fares , tickets are valid on all available modes, and fares are paid for each journey rather than per operator.' I sincerely hope that this is still the case!
It is definitely the case. The ATM (Autoritat del Transport Metropolità) is responsible for the integrated fares on the entire system that includes 7 main fare zones (apart from zone 1, other zones are divided into sub zones) covering 346 municipalities and more than 50 operators serving about 5.7 million people. Edit, I forgot to mention that the integrated fare system applies to all integrated transport means including metro, tram, suburban/regional rail, buses and two funiculars.
@@AL5520 Many thanks for this comprehensive response. In this respect Barcelona is a model to the rest of the world. Many different operators, many different modes, lots of local government areas, BUT ONE TICKET SYTEM. That is a (Swiss-like) Heaven which is desperately needed in Britain where I live.
@@AL5520 aren't the funiculars 3? Vallvidrera, Montjuic and Gelida, right? Or Gelida is not integrated just as the Tibidabo funicular and all the transport methods of Montserrat (I think)?
I was just there and the metro system is great overall. I read it’s pretty deep at 85m below ground; however, in both apartments I stayed at (near Plaza Catalunya and Fontane) I could hear the metro passing by starting at 5AM! It’s also expensive st €2.6/ day tickets
The most deep stations near the mountain are at 70-80 meters (being at 85 the deepest) :) The res of the metro is just one or two floors under the surface. And if you paid 2€/day...then you probably took the tourist tickets right? They are a bit more expensive than tickets for locals :)
I suppose its only confusing for an outsider who has never used it before. Even though I'm a Brit, i found the London Underground confusing at first, after using it a couple of times its quite straight forward.
The seemingly haphazard way that the lines wander all over the city means that they interconnect a LOT, which makes for less complicated trips--it's very likely that you can get where you want to go with only one transfer if any.
That is the most "plate of spaghetti"-like metro map I've ever seen! Why did they make the lines wiggle about so much? They could have had a much simpler system if they'd planned ahead and anticipated where other lines might run in the future. Other than that, looks like an impressive system!
Well... 1. The lines were at first from private companies, so there was no planning at all. 2. Some newer lines like L9 are so curvy because of politicians wanting the line to serve everywhere at the same time. 3. Lines and extensions from the 60s-70s are pretty radial, such as L3, which functions as 2 separate lines making that V-shape, or the L4, which had to be originally circular, but finally ended with a C-shape (and soon a G-shape xd). 4. Lots of change to the plans, some related with politics, some with the difficult, changing grounds under Barcelona (everything is underground except for 1 section of L10, 1 station on L1 and 1 on L5), and some simply because of past bad decisions. For example, L2 had to be a sort of vertical line and L5 an horizontal one. But after some genious decided to fusion early L2 with L5, it couldn't be reverted without wasting tons of money, so there you go with strange curvy lines... Basically, bad decisions were taken during the 60s-70s and on the 90s they worked with what they had, and from the 2000s on, politicians put their hand on the metro creating stupid things such as L11, the curvy L9, and the planned curvy L3 extension :(
Once in Barcelona I found a great private cafe called an association. I liked it from the beginning as I had to register in a club to enter. So it wasn’t crowded at all. I got myself a coffee and a very delicious brownie. After a while I felt like walking on clouds and decided to go home to take a nap. I had to enter the L4 in universidad and change to the L3 at Plaça caraluña. But for some reason I always got the wrong train at plaça cataluña and went 40 min back and forth between the two stations of the L4 until I noticed that I’m going in circles. (True story except I knew it wasn’t a cafe)
As far as I know, all FGC stations are accessible! On the other hand, some TMB stations still aren't. In their website you'll surely find a map stating which are, but be careful: some of the "accessible" stations do have a lift, but the platform is not levelled and there's a metal ramp at one end of the platform for wheelchairs to get on the metro. But I've heard some of those ramps are too far away from the metro, so maybe in some cases it'll be labeled as accessible when it really isn't. Also, some transfer stations are accessible just for some of the lines. My recommendation for you would be to use the bus: they are all accessible and everywhere in the city!
Hi, I heard in another video on the l line that you'd made a video on Brisbane's cross river rail but couldn't track it down? I was wondering if this video was still up or have I misunderstood?
I'll just add to the "confusing / not confusing" debate that it's been surprising to me, over various visits, that with so many Metro lines there's not a simple, direct service between the airport and the Eixample and city center-- although it sounds like that's in the works. And that being said, the airport bus is outstandingly frequent and reliable. Still, it just seems odd that with such a straightforward road route into the city, the very extensive Metro has been so complicated in providing what's clearly one of the most important connections for any city.
The L9 route to the airport is full spaghetti turns due to politicans wanting to please everyone making the metro pass through every place it went near to. On the other hand, there once was a shuttle service connecting the airport and the most important stations in Barcelona, but as the train tunnels are now at their highest capacity, this service was eliminated, and now the airport branch is used only every 30 minutes by the line R2North. In addition, the airport branch only really arrives to Terminal 2, although they now want to create a link to terminal 1 and reopen the shuttle service...
It's a great video, as always, but I do wish you would do some more research of how to say names of places and services in non-English speaking regions. In this case, it's the word "rodalies" which has the stress on the "i", not on the "a". "Rodalies" is in fact the Catalan word for what is called "cercanías" (also stressed on the "i") in Castilian-speaking regions of Spain. It can roughly be thought of as "S-Bahn" or "overground" services.
@@Urbanhandyman Honestly, I don't think so. We all have the internet, and Reece has viewers in many parts of the world. It usually takes seconds or at the most minutes to find out how to say a word like "rodalies" correctly even without local help, but Reece even can reach out to his community of viewers/followers to help him out. And I know from personal experience :-) that this does work. Reece pronounced nearly all the other local names pretty well, so I suspect he had some help. We are not talking about reproducing sounds that are totally alien to Western (Northern American) tongues, like tonal languages as in some varieties of Chinese or the clicking sounds of Khoisan languages of Southern Africa. We are talking about stressing the correct syllable of a word in Catalan. Reece could simply reach out to his community (as he regularly does!) and ask for guidelines on how to say each one of a list of words he is not sure about, and I am sure people, myself included, would come forward and help where they can. Because we all love his content, and we love to make it better.
I think Rodalies is more of a commuter rail, isn't it? And the S-Bahn would be the FGC lines (don't know a lot about german railways, but for the little I know, it seems to me that this is the case)
@@pizzaipinya2442 Depending on the line and segment Rodalies functions as suburban, commuter and/or regional trains. You can even get to France if you have time and patience. FGC is mix of lines that were transferred to the Generalitat over the years starting with metre-gauge lines from FEVE; since then it has added some 600mm, standard gauge and Iberian gauge lines. As Rodalies has now also been transferred to the Generalitat they might slowly merge.
@@tucuuk as far as I know on this difficult matter, they only partially transfered some competences, such as the timetables, lines... It is still served by Renfe and infrastructure is maintained by Adif, so de facto it is still a central government issue. I would LOVE to see a Rodalies really ran by FGC. Hopefully this will happen when all Cercanias get liberalized!
@@pizzaipinya2442 A couple of years ago the Generalitat got control of the funds to pay the subsidies (to Renfe for now). These days they are asking for full control. With the new EU rules mandating "liberalization" to be completed by 2033 it would make sense for a consortium of Renfe and FGC to bid for the full lot and run a unified service. For this type of service there will be only one operator unlike the HSR where multiple companies compete on each line. This is a process that we will see in other Cercanias networks (there are 11 in Spain). Adif will remain the infrastructure operator for the foreseeable future.
Barcelona: when you play Mini Metro and you like the final result.
Yeah, pretty much it's Mini Metro with the mode where you can't change existing lines, we just kept and keep extending lines to meet demand, that's why they're so squiggly
Haha, it certainly has that “all over the place” look 😂
Barcelona Metro Builds a mesh each line crosses each other two times that makes It very resilient.
Haha, didn't imagine I'd see a reference to mini metro.
@RMTransit I just got back from Barcelona and the metro through me off, our closest station was a different name on the map compared to the wall, it threw me off and was not well designed in my opinion.
Barcelona's urban planning is definitely unique! Heck, they PIONEERED it! Barcelona's Ildefons Cerdà was the guy who coined the term urbanization and changed the way we think about cities! Constricted by its medieval walls, Barcelona was suffocating as its population overflowed and couldn't handle the density with high mortality rates, until the then unknown Ildefons came up with a radical expansion plan. His plan consisted of a grid of streets that would unite the old city with seven peripheral villages (which later became integral Barcelona neighborhoods such as Gràcia and Sarrià). The united area was almost four times the size of the old city (which was around 2 sq km) and would come to be known as Eixample.
Cerdà decided to avoid repeating past errors by undertaking a comprehensive study of how the working classes lived in the old city. He concluded that, among other things, the narrower the city’s streets, the more deaths occurred. He added gardens in each block, made sure access to services for the rich and poor were equal, and made room for smooth-flowing traffic. The octagonal blocks, chamfered in the corners, were his unique idea to deal with traffic, allowing drivers to see more easily what was happening to the left and right. Cars of course didn't exist then, but when he learned about trains, he figured there would be some sort of thing powered by steam that would use the streets. His gravestone, fittingly, is a model of the Eixample.
why do i see u everywhere
I just got back from Barcelona and the closest station to me was ill defo cueda but it said on the wasn't cued de justicia, I didn't like the Barcelona metri as it could take 4 different trains to get to one point, wich compared to tfl is intherior
I use FGC's Metro del Vallès on a daily basis and to say it's fantastic would be an understatement. From Sant Cugat Centre to Plaça Catalunya, a train arrives at each station every 2 and a half minutes during rush hour (which is the absolute limit, they literally wouldn't be able to fit any more trains even if they wanted to) and every 5 minutes at the branches. In the last year, I've only seen 2 delays: one because of someone who jumped into the tracks and one because of a mechanical fault. The Metro del Vallès line is able to run metro frequencies whilst being a suburban rail network, which I find neat!
I mean, it's the metro/train of the rich people, of course it runs smothly.
In comparison Rodalies seems like a fucking joke
@@mellamofields4275 It's not because is the train of the rich, it's simply because is NOT run by RENFE.
s1 and s2 supremacy
@@mellamofields4275 Terrassa and Sabadell, the promised land for the rich people.
@@PunkSinAutor ironically much cheaper than anything within Barcelona, except maybe the far edges of the city
I'm from Barcelona and I never thought that it was that confusing for tourist, but at least you can get arround all this lines and services with only one card and not one for every system.
At this moment ther are a lot of work beig done and the services are getting better and better, i've traveled a lot in Europe and for me at least Barcelona's metro network is the best one, nice carts, high frequency, nice to ride, easy to read the signals and get arround, the majority of the system is adapted for handicap people.
You should try it.
I’ve tried it several times, it’s great!
👍💯
Here here. The travel card for the city was great!
And as a rail-worker on an IT-systems department for one of the operators on this video, and since I'm specialized in software usability, we're doing big improvements to keep all the information systems beyond the state-of-the-art among rail operators. One of my secrets is traveling and getting inspired by other mass transits on the World. One of this systems was presented during Smart City expo last november.
@@Oriol123456 Estàs a TMB?? Ho dic perquè he vist les noves pantalles de les 7000 i 8000 i el que han fotut a la L5 de Sants que et diu com de ple va el tren i té molt bona pinta!!!
I really don't get why so many public transit systems are considered "confusing". I genuinely think that many people weren't taught to read maps or charts.... I've never gotten lost on a subway anywhere in the world.
the exception is having to get off a train and walk in NY because I didn't check the schedule and missed the last train I had to switch to.
I was in Barcelona and walked a lot but the metro was very useful for quick transit like to park Güell
I know the subway (NYC) like the back of my hand, but I can understand that people from other cities (or not from a city at all) might find it confusing.
There are a lot of good reasons someone might find a system, especially a big one confusing! I love Barcelona!
I have been to Barcelona many times, and I never had an issue navigating the system TBQH. But then I am a big-city kid, having been born and raised in Berlin, and having learned to navigate public transit from an early age.
@@MartinIbert actually that might have a lot to do with it.... I didn't consider that before. it would make a lot of sense for early exposure of this nature to prime a brain to understand this style of informational systems.
I've also only ever lived in larger cities and have been taking transit since time in memoriam so it tracks.
Thanks for the thought!
@@Urbanhandyman that's interesting. I'm now curious to see if the places I've traveled have stayed relatively consistent in the approach to their respective transit logic systems.
Civil engineering student from Barcelona here. L1 uses the OLD Iberian gauge at 1674mm and not 1668mm. And the "Spanish Solution" here called the "Barcelona Solution" is used in L6 at Muntaner and Bonanova stations as well and possibly more that I don't remember.
So interesting! I love the public transport in Barcelona. It's fast and very efficient. Here in Munich, we have three stations in the city centre operated by the S-Bahn metro with the so called "spanische Lösung" (Spanisch solution), namely at Central Station, Stachus and Marienplatz. Other stations are coming with the future secore core route with this same solution too, like at Marienhof (behind Marienplatz).
Yo es que viendo los comentarios me quedé flipando, en plan q q fum# el nota q hizo el vídeo
Super awesome to be able to help you out Reece! The video turned out great! :)
Thanks Pau!
Nice filming!
@@qqnqqpart Thanks! :)
Confusing?? Imo its one of the best. Incredible frequency, super high coverage, and the regional rail is equally fantastic. Big metro envy fr
I don’t think being good and confusing are mutually exclusive for a large system!
Barcelona metro was so nice to navigate through, i cant see why it might be confusing, i stayed there for 6months and i have to say you can go mostly everywhere and anywhere very easily there's signs everywhere amd even in grand stations like urqinaona catalunya and españa, where you kinda take a journey for your preferred stop its always a delight to go through. Very well made and beginner friendly for anybody id say❤
One interesting fact you missed: This year, the UNLIMITED monthly pass, which includes BUS, FGC, TRAM, RENFE etc. transfers was discounted by 50%, so people who use it pay only 20€ per month
I'm a civil engineer from a Barcelona and as far as I know, the Spanish solution is also present in some stations of L5
Which ones?
@@davidgil6485Horta
Yep, though not as common as L1!😊
As a really frequent user of L5, there aren't stations that have the Spanish solution, only a couple island platforms and most of them are separate platforms. I've ridden the full line, and I haven't seen the Spanish Solution implemented on L5? I might be wrong but as a frequent user of L5, pretty sure I haven't seen it at all, and I've ridden the full line from Vall d'Hebron to Cornella Centre multiple times...
@@luckyone4000 Same here, and there's a metro map that includes all platforms (search for cartometro) that doesn't show L5 with Spanish Solution.
BUT, L6 does have 2 stations with Spanish Solution :)
11:00 Fun fact; the L12 shuttle line is there mostly because it's mostly a school train; the area between Pedralbes and Sarrià (served by the Reina Elisenda station) is among the top 5 areas in Europe in school density. There are more than 15 schools in a 15 minute walk radius from the station.
I just find amusing how Barcelona's street layout is for the most part straight regular grid, and their Metro lines are the classic example of spaghetti
Here we say we've got the city holed underneath like a cheese xd
@nosoloporno69 yep, those gaps are covered by the incredible bus network (unironically, it really is impressive), but it would be nice to finally extend the metro in those places :)
@nosoloporno69 eeeeeiiii ahora que lo dices es verdad jajajaja, un placer volver a verte :)
I literally am visiting Barcelona right now. I don’t get the confusion with the Metro, especially with the help of a Maps app which typically feature where the lines go and ofc there’s indicators inside the cars so you know what stop you’re at. The spaghetti does look quite daunting I’ll admit.
Only thing with google maps is it sometimes doesn't show the transfer at Diagonal/Provença
I studied abroad to here last semester and the metro itself is INCREDIBLY easy to figure out. Especially considering they include colors and numbers everywhere.
Both the Sagrada Familia and Park Güel served as inspiration for parts of Mesagoza in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. Montjuïc was the perfect setting for the 1992 Olympic Park. Not only because the main stadium was already built there in 1927 (when Barcelona made a bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics; losing to Berlin), but also because Montjuïc is the birthplace of the city and its strategic location on the Mediterranean and the Llobregat River has made it significant throughout history. So what better way to show the tourists what Barcelona is all about than to have them all gather at a place of huge significance. Fun fact, Montjuïc means Jewish Mountain in medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery was discovered there.
Construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect. By the time he passed in 1926, less than a quarter of it was complete. The project has gone through so much from the Spanish Civil War to anarchists partially destroying his original plans. But it has continued, and Barcelona has something to be proud of. The construction of the Sagrada Família shows what it means to never give up!
Great info, but how does that relate to the metro? Xd
supreme leader! good to see you here
Isn't the Mesagoza inspired by the Zaragoza cathedral?
A follow-up looking at the Rodalies network would be good. This is also quite unconventional for a suburban rail network as it has one line (the R3) which is mostly single-track once it leaves the city centre, and which extends (albeit only a handful of trains per day) high into the Pyrenees and over the border into France at Latour-de-Carol.
It should be like an extensive one of all cercanías Renfe
Quieren duplicar la vía y aumentar las frecuencias de todas formas (aunque eso dicen siempre y nunca lo hacen)
Yeah I’m still thinking about how I’ll cover the various Spanish regional train systems
that's because Rodalies is a hold-all brand that encompasses both regional and subirban rail.
@@DaGreatestAlexander-Nelvy Aquest setembre començaran les obres de desdoblament de la R3 entre Parets del Vallès i Centelles (confirmat per Renfe)
Finally, my city.
Just a few things (that I've mentioned in other answers).
-The large number of operators in not confusing as there is an integrated fare system, so what's important is not the operator but weather the line takes you where you need to go. Integrated fares includes the metro, tram, Suburban/regional trains, buses and two (of the 3) funiculars. Only if you plan to leave the huge zone one (that includes the entire city and a few nearby cities and towns) you'll need an integrated card for more zones (6 zones in total, divided into sub zones - with the exception of zone one, and a 7th special one that works differently for residents).
-The FGC S1 and S2 stop now at all stations they pass through in the city.
They also serve as a local metro at the edge of each branch with 4 underground stations in Terrassa (S1) and 5 underground stations in Sabadell (S2).
-L4 is about to get a new 66m Euros signaling system, that will support future automation.
-The connection between the two sections of the tram is under construction. phase 1 is under construction and due to open in March 2024 and the tender to build the second phase was awarded and construction should start in January 2024 and will finish the connection.
-For the Rodalies Regional rail, there is a plan to dig a new tunnel under the entire Avinguda Diagonal (11 km) as the current Rodalies track are saturated with no room for expansion.
Everything totally true, but the Diagonal tunnel is faaaaaar from confirmed to be happening. It will have to eventually, but maybe not through the Diagonal.
To add that zone 6 is not included in the T-Jove which is amazing. And btw, why is L2 not automated yet since all trains are series 9000
The tunnel of the Diagonal is just in studying, and renfe before that wants to remodel the services making R1 operate at the southern section of R2, R2 operating the southern section of R4, R3 operating the new line they want to open from L’Hospitalet to Castelldefels and R4 operating the branch to the airport, connecting Vallès with the Airport also, that all would allow to both tunnels to have a larger capacity and to make the 3rd tunnel later
@@k4rmaaaa they don't want to automate lines until they've got platform doors on all the line :(
@@pizzaipinya2442 that makes sense but why don't they start installing the doors then😅. Budget?
I visited Barcelona 6 years ago, and don't remember the details at all. But my wife & I actually found the Barcelona Metro system super easy and convenient. And neither of us speak/read Spanish very well. We were staying in a hotel near the airport and were able to get to the Sagrada Familia in like 20 minutes with two transfers, and it was our first time using it. I find using the D.C. Metro far more confusing, because its signage is terrible. I've been using it regularly for more than a decade, and if I get off at a stop I don't normally use, I'm usually baffled and it takes me a while to figure out where I need to go. The signage in the part of Barcelona's Metro that we used was super clear and easy to follow. Not to mention, the longest we waited for a train was maybe 3 or 4 minutes. You're very lucky in D.C. if you wait for less than 10.
It's the only time I've used it, and maybe we hit on a really good day. But I thought it was fantastic and often mention the Barcelona Metro system when I sing the praises of European public transit.
It’s a great system for sure and well adapted to use by outsiders!
well most of the signage is in catalan, not spanish; but it's easy to understand as it's similar to frenc too for example Sortida (exit)
@@hypernewlapse well, it's in Catalan as in Madrid signage is in Spanish and in China it's in Chinese. Is it a problem that signage is in the language of the place it serves?? Also, in most places signage is in Catalan, and then Spanish and English just below and a bit smaller, so I don't really see what's the problem there.
hey. I was there 20 years ago and i'm wondering if people still smoke in subways and trains like they used to?
@@jabeztomer wow!!! Definitely they don't now hahahaha. This things shock me, as it's been a looooong time since smoking has been banned on closed spaces (not including your home of course, there you do what you want)
As a Barcelonian, thank you for your video. Very well explained 🤗
I'm always excited when I see Reece's newest video, then get sad when the video ends, but also inspired and wanting to go to these places. Thanks again for making my day! Can't wait for the next one!
_Being confusing makes this the most beautiful metro on the planet_
- A guy from madrid
Lol, probably first person from Madrid I know that likes Barcelona's metro... From a barcelonian... THANKS!
PD: Your metro is good too :)
It is beautiful 🎉
Man... As my home city, I tend to use the metro a lot, not for methods of travelling, but enjoyment. It's just such a large system but yet really compact, that the fact that you can ride around the network for hours without getting bored, as there are so many different lines, trains and operators. It's genuinely a privilege to be able to live in Barcelona, as such well organized system can't be found in not that many places. L9/L10, If you ever ride the Southern Branches, enjoy the terrific english announcements, the voice is quite funny at times (The Tri-Language announcement which play on L9S/L10S do not play on L9N/L10N as it's meant for airport passengers, as the Southern section goes to the Airport). By the way, L1 does not stop at Sants Estació, but at Plaça de Sants, which is a horribly long interchange with a ton of stairs to get to L5. However, that doesn't beat the interchange you have to do at Passeig de Gracia between L3/Rodalies and L2/L4. It takes an average of 5 minutes, if you ever visit, try to avoid it, as it's just long and tedious (because it has to avoid a car park).
Okay now that I've said what I had to say, I'm grateful you did an explainer video on Barcelona, it's been a couple of years of anticipating this video, and honestly, you did a great job describing it, you got the information right. (And I have to agree, FGC logo looks nice and simple, the old orange one is similar just more rough as the curves weren't rounded but the new green one is pretty amazing, however it doesn't match with FGC's Liveries which did match with the old orange logo).
P.S. I'm pretty sure it's North and South, not East and West in terms if you are talking about L9 and L10 (Since technically one is in the North and one in the South)
Yeah, Sants Estació and the metro interchange is often compared to Paris Gare Montparnasse and its super long metro interchange. Plus, both stations are not exactly architectural beauties but rather a pair of terrible eyesores.
I love Barcelona, got a few friends there that use the metro but aren't particularly interested in it, so I'll ask you as they have no clue : do you think the central part of lines 9/10 will ever be finished ? Soon ?
I'm asking because a couple urbex videos showed an abandoned tunnel with a an abandoned TBM going derelict. Presumably lines 9 and 10's central tunnel. (Check my recent comment under this video for the titles as I can't post links).
What's your take on that ?
I'm worried it won't get built completely anytime soon, if ever.
And do you know what happened for the builders to ditch a multi-million euro TBM and tunnel like that ?
Greetings from Paris!
@@KyrilPG FIrst section of the central tunnels are planned to open in Early 2025, which include the stations of Sagrera TAV, La Sagrera, Guinardo | Hospital de Sant Pau and Lesseps. Then in 2028, the stations of Camp Nou, Sarriá, Madri, Sanllehy and Maragall would open, having trains now running through the whole tunnel, as for 2025, L9N/L10N will run up to Lesseps while L9/L10S will still terminate at Zona Universitaria and Collblanc respectively. Then on the last phase, probably 2029 or 2030, the stations of Campus Nord, Manuel Girona and El Putxet would open as infills. Also, stations such as Prat de la Riba and Muntanya have been planned for the future.
The Northern TBM has finished it's job, while the Souther TBM is expect to reach Sarria this summer (2023) and then Lesseps in December 2024, completing the tunnel.
Yes the project had been on hold for more than a decade due to financial issues, but now it's back on track, with the first section opening in just a couple of years.
Actually, I rather compare the Passeig de Gracia and Plaça de Sants interchange to the Gare Saint Lazare. As they are equally as bad and as long. Sants Estació is bearable, but the ones at Plaça de Sants and Passeig de Gracia, and even Urquinaona are hellish.
@@luckyone4000 OK, that's reassuring to read but then what's with the abandoned tunnel and TBM that were still in a state of dereliction as recently as 6 months ago ? Perhaps even more recently.
Did they changed their minds about one particular tunnel and abandoned it and the TBM to change the project ?
Or did they experienced catastrophic conditions that forced them to ditch the tunnel and TBM in order to dig another route ?
Some of the videos in question show warning panels written in both castellano and catalan, so there's no doubt it's in Barcelona and given the width of the tunnel it's certainly L9/L10. Some other videos explicitly state it's Barcelona's L9 central tunnel.
Do you have any info about that ? Everything I find is contradictory.
Have a look at some of the videos I mentioned, the TBM looks unsalvageable, with parts rotten by rust in an extremely humid environment and calcium / limestone (or sulfur?) baby stalactites and thick traces beginning to form...
The front of the cutting wheel is facing what looks like a concrete wall and the whole area in front of the TBM is flooded with water reaching a substantial height.
Plus, the tunnel is at a depth of roughly 75 to 95 meters, so that's consistent with L9/L10 central tunnel's depth.
From everything that I've found online, some say that it has been announced by authorities in June 2022 that work on L9 had resumed. The announcement came only 2 days after a video by The Proper People (an American urbex team) showing the abandoned tunnel and TBM was published to a large viewership. That's quite a convenient timing.
But there's a problem with that announcement :
First, the TBM shown in the video was in such a state that it's absolutely impossible to believe it has resumed digging in such a short time, if at all, after standing still for 11+ years, rotting in high humidity and stripped of its computers, etc.
And 2nd, another video published only a few months ago, months *after* the announcement, showed the TBM in an even worse state of delapidation, so if digging work has resumed, it's not that TBM.
Are the announcements about the completion of line 9 believable ? Or are the authorities a "tad bit' overly optimistic when they say the TBM has resumed digging when clearly it hasn't ? Or simply wishful thinking and empty words to avoid public scrutiny ?
Because the announcements are obviously not consistent with the images in the various videos by urban explorers.
That's why I'm worried. L9/L10 central tunnel is such a great project but it seems to be riddled with problems and that's not good when official announcements are contradicted by on-site videos.
Did the authorities published images or videos of the works resuming ?
As for the interchange comparison : Gare Saint Lazare, really ? Interchange there isn't very long for most connections, except if you change between RER lines A & E or between Metro & RER *and* use the incorrect Metro station as the complex is so huge that it is served by multiple stations of the same Metro lines, respectively 3 stations of line M3 and 2 stations of line M9.
Metro stations there are grouped : Saint-Lazare / Saint-Augustin section has M3, M9, M12, M13, M14 and RER E ; Havre Caumartin section has M3, M9 and RER A (Auber Northwestern side) ; and Opera section has M3, M7, M8 and RER A (Auber Southeastern side).
In most cases you can avoid the lengthy connections.
On the other hand, in Gare Montparnasse there are M4 & M12 where the original train station was located, then M6 & M13 closer to the location of the modern station and then further South is the train station itself and its many Transilien suburban trains and TGV's.
Because there's only one station per line serving the interchange complex, many connections there require a good walk.
That's why they had a multi-speed high-speed travelator for years in the main interchange tunnel. The special travelator could have been the unique subject of hours of "fail videos" because so many people fell on it as they did not follow or simply did not understand the instructions for the speed transitions.
So it was removed due to the high number of accidents and complaints and was replaced by a normal travelator.
When I had to use Montparnasse train station coming from the North I either used M4, overshot Montparnasse to Raspail station to connect with line M6 and back to Montparnasse as M6 station is the closest one to the mainline train platforms. Or I used RER B to Denfert Rochereau and hopped on M6 to Montparnasse.
Anything to avoid the super long tunnel connection between M4, M12 and the mainline train station side of Montparnasse complex.
@@KyrilPG lol what a long comment hahahaha
I've just responded you on another comment, but just in case...
There are 2 TBM machines :)
That one is abandoned and they'll sell it as scrap metal. The other one's again digging.
You can actually hear how they move dirt to the extraccion point from Z.Universitaria station!!!
Actually the TBM on the north isn't abandoned, well it's no longer used as it has finished doing its work. However, since it hasn't moved for over a decade, it's safe to assume that it's getting scrapped as anyways, after a decade, it tends to wear out. So yes, I'm pretty sure it's getting scrapped, but they souther TBM is working hard and planned to reach Sarria this Summer, and Lesseps in December 2024, completing the tunnels.
I have never found the Barcelona system particularly confusing, either on my recent visit or the one I made over a decade ago. But there is a lot.
The most surprising moment was probably when I transferred from the Rodalies de Catalunya train (from Salou-PortAventura) to the Barcelona metro at Passeig de Gracia, and was unexpectedly faced with an exit gate where I had to scan my train ticket to get out (having assumed I would no longer need it).
As a transit geek I love that the Montjuïc funicular is functionally part of the regular metro system.
The system works like this: for services that stay into one tariff zone (metro) you only scan when you enter. This is also true on buses and Trams.
For services that go through different zones (that means, FGC and Rodalies, without including buses which I've already mentioned) you also validate your ticket at the exit, so that they can check how many zones you travelled and if you paid what you had to.
But even on the metro, Tram ans buses you MUST preserve your ticket till you leave it, as an inspector/security guard could ask you to show him your ticket to see if it's valid or if you've illegally got into the train
@@pizzaipinya2442 Makes sense. I was surprised because of course it had worked differently in the other direction--a conductor checked tickets on the train, and the platform at Salou-PortAventura was just a typical commuter-rail station open to the street. But on the way back, no conductor ever checked tickets on the train, instead they relied on the exit gate downtown to do the validation after I got off the train.
I had a tense minute or so trying to figure out which pocket I had that ticket jammed into (a complicated situation, since I'd been riding big roller coasters at the theme park and had been stashing all sorts of things in zippered pockets so they wouldn't go flying--I'd been short on euro coins for the lockers, and at least one coaster, Stampida, didn't have bins on the loading platform).
@@MattMcIrvin don't worry, it always happens!! Even for locals like me, if we are used to the metro, we sometimes forget we must validate at the exit hahahah
@@pizzaipinya2442 I grew up with the Washington, DC Metro, where you need to do this for every trip because even the subway has variable pricing based on trip length. So it's a thing I should have been used to...
As a rule, I never discard a metro ticket until I'm really out in the street. You never know! 😅
I was wondering about Barcelona last week, searching for info like these and just as magic this video came today… Amazing!
If you have any questions, a local here will try to help :)
Thanks for watching! I hope it helped!
From Barcelona, great job! Extremely accurate! Congrats.
I love Barcelonas transit system. Absolutley amazing. Could you do an explainer video on the transit system in La Paz, Bolivia? It's such a unique system and we could learn a lot from it.
Love this video! I use multiple of these rail systems daily (TMB L3, Tram and Rodalias R1), and find it explains the system very well!
A follow-up video of Rodalias and Renfe is a must, cause even though the system that keeps Barcelona connected works wonderfully (TMB, FCG & Tram), I think its a very different story for Rodalias' and Renfe's services.
I wait impatiently for a video covering the topic. Good job!
I'd like to see a Sevilla Metro Explained. Would make a great 15 sec video.
If he includes the tram he could get to 20s.
I truly don’t understand why you’re calling this the most confusing subway system. I was there at the beginning of the month and it was truly one of the easiest public transit systems I’ve ever used. I really don’t get how you got to this claim.
@@Urbanhandyman Exactly, it’s just a title - it’s a good system but I do legitimately think truly understanding it can be hard since you have multiple operators, crazy alignments and the whole 9-10 situation.
@@RMTransit yeah that’s fair I wrote this before watching lmao. Great video. Didn’t use the 9/10 trains often but they were definitely the most “confusing” if I had to pick one.
Last year I was in Barcelona, traveled into it through the R from a tourist city north of Barcelona. I must say as someone from Germany who is used to (relatively) good and big public transport/metros I was still surprised how many lines and connections the system had. It is very extensive, witch is great but as a disadvantage it is not so easy to understand, especially as a foreigner.
I love these explained videos, I love learning about metro systems!
Finally!!!!!!! I love our metro in Barcelona, but I admit it can be confusing if you're not a local hahahahha
I'm just starting the video, but I know it'll ve awesome, I'll point out any little mistakes I find :)
3:50 Fun fact: That's because L1 was meant to connect train stations at both sides of the city, that's the reason of the different gauge :)
8:20 Here we are all fans of FGC, it's the greatest rsil company: all trains arrive on time, no graffiti... some things are still wrong, but the positive parts overcome the negatives by far!!!
Yasss I love fgc ever since I moved here 8 months ago. Silent trains, fast, cool stations and cool train designs. They also have the train times all the time unlike in TMB that's announcements 95% jajajja
And imagine looking the the board for like 30 seconds just to tell when the train is arriving
Yep, FGC is a great railway!
Gotta correct you with the FGC... You know FGC is kinda going downhill, and the fact that they want to spend a ton of money to buy the R12 from Rodalies, and also the fact that they operate the line from Lleida to La Pobla de Segur which is not profitable, at all, pretty much the reason RENFE gave that line to FGC is because RENFE didn't want to run it anymore, as it barely made any profit. FGC operates good, but in terms of finance, they are quite bad at it, which could lead to their downfall in the future. Tho FGC still fun to ride.
@@luckyone4000actually, FGC is one of those few rail companies that's profitable!
Yes, the Lleida-La Pobla was a really unprofitable line, but nowadays ridership has most than doubled since the years of Renfe, and the touristic trains the line offers help making it not that unprofittable.
On the other hand, FGC operates tons of ski resorts (la Molina, Núria, Port Ainé, Espot...) and touristic train services (Montserrat funiculars and rack railway, Núria again, the Tren del Ciment...) which are all huuuuugely profitable and give FGC lots of benefits.
They'll have a problem if temperatures continue rising and they start lacking snow xd
In 3:40 it seems like L1 connects to Sants station, but it doesn’t. It stops at Plaça de Sants, which is a station far away from Sants Estació, that serves the Sants barriade
Pound for Pound when comparing Transport Systems of the Top 3 cities of the country to each other (in this case Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia) I believe Spain could take down anyone in Europe apart from maybe Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, München)
Germany doesn't have good transit, always overcrowded, late or otherwise not properly working. You can find good transit in places like downtown Paris and London
@@jan-lukas If we were to compare France and Spain, Paris and Lyon system are good but Marseille transport system is shameful for a city of this size
In my experience the Netherlands have probably the best rail transport system in the whole Europe, maybe tied with Switzerland
@@osasunaitor but inside the city it’s quite bad. The trams come every 15 mins in rdam, which makes switching lines a real hassle. Ofc, the advantage is that you can go anywhere with the bike, but if I only had public transport then I wouldn’t consider it the best by a long mile.
@@jan-lukas the transit in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich (and I would add Frankfurt to this list too) works pretty well! Here in Munich, there's a lot of disruption now but it's for a good reason, since they are building a lot right now. The only problem we got here, is that everything takes too long to be built.
Hey, men! I have been living in Barcelona since I was 6 years old, and at the begging of the video was thinking like: this guy probably doesn't know what is talking about.
And now I finish the video I understand better the metro line I have in my city and I can not believe how in the school at high school they never spoke about the metro line we have.
But the only thing the u don't talk about is the user experience. In one day of work, I spend around 2 hours to travel from my house to my work space. And it is important to said, the most "tourists" line are the one they have the better look's and better maintenance.
Insane video! Congrats
Since when does L3 have better maintanance wtf?!?
@@pizzaipinya2442 the l3 is the worst for this i said the more "tourist one's"
@@DANKO1499 which are those? I can only think about the lines that go through the center, L3 and L2. One is great, the other is... definitely a line. The lines are better or worse depending on its age, not how touristy they are (at least that's what I think) :)
Barcelona public transport system It's amazing. As a frequent user of FGC Vallès I have to say that is probably one of the best suburban public transport system on the world.
Loved the video! Just one quick comment: the footage that is shown Les Rambles are mentioned is actually La Rambla del Poblenou! There are many different rambles in Barcelona, as it is a type of street, like an avenue or a boulevard.
May I correct the correction...? It's Rambla de Badal, looking north from on top of the "calaix" on top of the train tracks
FGC suburban services to Terrassa and Sabadell are not suburban railways anymore, they are currently metro services stopping at all stations running every 5 minutes named “Metro del Vallès”
The letters next to the numbers are identifiers too (L1 -> line 1 of metro // R2 -> Rodalies 2 // ...), and i think that the Barcelona public transportation system is better understood if you look at the entire history (the city expansion and it's natural limitations with the mountains, the Cerdà's layout and now even political implications on each update of it's system).
Great video, complete and entertaining, as a citizen of this beautiful city I can assure you that this system is a real lifesaver and love it's efficiency.
An interesting fact is that L5 only runs by newer trains as well as L2 L9 and L10, the rest of the L ones, (not FGC) operate on both old and new trains and it's frequency is notably lower. Also even that they are not metro, the Tram system is included on all metro tickets and is quite interesting too.
Wow, Barcelona's transit system is truly amazing! I've used it and didn't think it was confusing but definitely many options from point A to B. By the way, I think Lines 8 and 9 of BCN are *very* similar in construction method to São Paulo's Line 4, stark resemblance!
Metropolitan area of Brcelona has a population of 3,200.000 people…
Subway trips on a business day, 1,523,900 validations.
I visited Barcelona for a October Half Term holiday in 2014.
I enjoyed travelling on the Metro and visiting Montjuic.
Fantastic video, fascinating. In addition to the video is worth to say that recently the works to connect both tramway lines have been started. The tracks will be on Diagonal Avenue, one of the main streets of the city.
his pronunciation of Park Güell makes me want to die
Nice Video, as always. But in Barcelona there also is the Tram, a whole other story... it's separated into two networks, runs on its own right of way (and even has some tunnels) but surprisingly has a lot of single tracked sections. It's also not operated by TMB, which makes it NOT fare integrated with the metro unless you buy a combined ticket... and with the expansion to "Verdaguer" opening soon, the system will switch between overhead wires and 3rd rail power during regular service. Maybe it deserves a Video on its own :)
Agree on everything except that the fare is indeed integrated (as far as I know at least, you can't buy an only metro or only tram ticket, this only happens at commuter trains (Rodalies)) :)
Careful because not all the data you're giving on the Barcelona-Vallès line is actually precise. The line was electrified on 600V DC and converted to international gauge from Barcelona to Sarrià on the 10s. The extension of the line to Sabadell and Terrassa (Vallès region) was already built in standard gauge and electrified on 1200V DC on the 20s-30s. Nowadays all the line operates on 1500V DC. Also, the segment between Sarrià and Reina Elisenda was built in 1976.
It would have been cool if you also talked a bit about the TRAM lines, which also cover a great part of the city, and has two separated branches (as FGC does) that are being connected.
A really cool video as always!
I use it on a daily basis and it’s always comfy, clean, and with minimal errors
Thx for showing Barcelona :)
The only reason why the two tram systems in Barcelona haven't been tied up yet is the opposition of residents and business owners on Av. Diagonal to having tracks placed in the street.
On the broad-gauge part of TMB's network, it is interesting to note that until a few years ago, there was a track connection between TMB and RENFE at Plaça Catalunya. This was used mainly to deliver equipment, there is a picture of a RENFE switching loco sitting on TMB track to prove it.
You forgot to mention that the Barcelona metro includes a FREE sauna session with each visit. So amazing of them!
We NEED platform doors to put air conditioning at the stations, but we needed them for for years and nothing has been done!!!
Very interesting. I never thought that Barcelona had so many lines, you should do a video on the Gothenburg tram network in Sweden, it is surprisingly complex for a relatively small population.
Hi! I'm from Barcelona and I can't say FGC is a metro system but a local train. We don't use it as a metro. It depends on the catalan government (Generalitat) and Metro depends on the city hall (Ajuntament). They are two different types of transportation. And Rodalies (another local train net) depends on the country government (Gobierno de España). But only our Metro is used as a metro net. On the other hand, great video!
Well, lots of people use it as part of the metro, I mean, no one uses L7 as a suburban, and frequencies joining L6, S1 and S2 make to metro frequencies even when it's not rush hour.
L8's case could be not considered metro because of the distance between stations, but it depends on your criteria...
To sum it up, I think the Valles line is really a metro on its urban part, the Llobregat line... could not be
Bingo. He's confusing the uderground (metro) network with FGC/RENFE Rodalies.
We do absolutely use it as a metro. And not only in Barcelona, the new stations in Sabadell are frequently used to move around the city.
@@Elanor_Chan
Weird, I'm from Sabadell but I've never heard of anyone using the train as a metro to move around the city.
@@xavichuvy9047 We really don't use it as a metro at all, no. I think they're trying to coin the expression "metro" so that when Barcelona finally absorbs us, we'll have gotten used to it and won't complain.
I was there 9 years ago and it was astonishing just how comfortable it was.
A must city to visit. Love the rolling stock.
IM DIYING THE PRONUNTIATION😭😭😭😭😭
Plasa Eispania, Barcelona-Vales line... jajajajajaja
I loved the video. Thank you.
Great video! just a comment, the Tram is not splitted on East/West but based on the rivers (Llobregat/Besós) and would be more accurate to say North/South :)
Yep, the sea-mountain configuration of our map is confusing for outsiders xd
I am from Barcelona and I see that you are very well informed, and the last one is like the Super looks or the new halstom 7000.
I have been in Barcelona twice. Believe me it is way better than the Rome metro system. The trains are clean, not overcrowded, on time, frequent and easily accessible to nearly every part of the city. Kudos to the city planners and engineers for designing such efficient metro system.
And it is very easy to use. Very clean too. I love it.
I was there in May 2024, and it was an incredible system. Super intuitive, and very convenient. Loved it. Especially coming from Miami where subways are non existent and public transport is a joke.
That's awesome, I've been to barcelona but never used the metro
Let's goooo. I thought it would never arrive 😂
The train is in the station!
as a curiosity in the past barcelona had lots of tram lines F.F. just removed all
I live in Barcelona and love the transit system. I pay 20 euros a month for a pass. Incredible value!
Line 4 in today's year had to divide into 2 L4 lines. L4A: trinitat nova-verdaguer L4B: la pau-barceloneta. Urquinaona stations are closed due to this divition by renovation issues
There's only one underground (metro) system/operator, not two. But there are two regional train operators (FGC and RENFE). No different than you would find in other cities like London. Just because a train goes underground for part of its journey it doesn't mean it's part of the underground/metro system. Apples and oranges. That's probably why you find it confusing, because you assume FGC and RENFE are part of the metro system, when they're not.
As a Catalonian who lives near Barcelona, I can confirm.
(Thx 4 the good review)
Brilliant video sir.
Originally L4 (yellow) did reach almost the end of L2 (purple) and the rest of the L2 line wasn't used (but parts of it were build in the 60s, 70s and 90s). L2 was inaugurated in the 59, but closed in the 1970, and reopened again the year 1995 and in the 2001 the last stations of L4 were transferred to L2 reaching the current shape in 2010.
Hola, la linea 2 que se inauguro en el 59 hoy forma parte de la linea 5 y nunca fue cerrada.
@@AngelBadal Creo que no nos hemos entendido, hablaba de la denominación L2 (que estubo años sin usarse) y del trazado de la Nueva_L2 (que habian partes construidas y otras no construidas) y que el tramo La Pau-Badalona pasó de la L4 a la Nueva_L2.
Fantastic content.
9:30 F's in the chat for the dude frantically pressing the door button of the right train only for it to depart.
If the train gas already emitted a loud "beep beep beep...", it going to depart no matter how hard you press the button xd. But another will arrive in less than 2-3 minutes if it's rush hour, so never mind :)
Could you make a video on Rodalies de Catalunya?
Having lived in Barcelona I think the metro is great, but in terms of easily finding out where to go I very much prefer Oslo’s way of just running every service through the same stations. While there’s probably a limit to how large a city you can support with such a system, it’s really nice being able to just show up at a platform and know that eventually any one service will show up
But that's pretty radial, isn't that? It means you have to go to the center to make transfers anywhere
@@pizzaipinya2442 Given the city’s shape roughly resembles that of a crescent moon, the shortest distance between any two points often ends up going through the city centre anyway. Most that don’t are so short that it’s a 15 minute bus ride at most. There is one circle line but it serves more to connect between different tram and metro services.
As you say the main issue here is capacity, even Oslo is moving away from that model to expand its system!
@@Felix-nz7lq I don't know Oslo, so I don't know if this method can work there, I was saying it can't work in the majority of the cities :)
Barcelonian here and I am used to the system, but I'd say would be lovely to include the Rodalies / Train system next. This is the trickiest and it mades everything a bit more confussing as it goes along with all the rest of lines.
For me FGC is not a metro service and will never be, as most likely all it's lines go or come from or to other cities. And is not TMB related, which is Metro. Plus FGC is punctual and reliable. As a passenger those are the best lines you'll use. Metro is fine, but it keeps failing from time to time, and in big touristy waves you can see that lines like L4 bring back old metros/cars from the 1990's as the demand increases. Its funny but also a bit "creepy" (why not replacing them with better/newer units?).
I do remember the transition from older machines/trains in the 80s-90's to the ones in the 2000's and also some of those old 90's early 2000's trains that are in use in summer time bring some special smell that is quite characteristic.
Overall the system can improve, the lines are not very specially well design in the idea of speed and best routes (check the oldest line, L3 and instead of going from Lesseps to Catalunya and then run to the University Part of the city in Diagonal straight on, it just keeps doing silly moves around Les Rambles, Paral.lel, etc....). I guess this was not seing as this in the years where they built newer stations.
Also to add that there are floadable stations like at the end of L4 that yearly are floaded by water and need to be closed 1 or 2 months to add machines to take out the water from there (maybe not that well designed overall?) or stops like El Carmel in L5 or El Coll also in L5 (new ones or some of the newer ones) that are so down into the ground that users need to use elevators instead of automatic stairs or regular stairs, in order to reach the surface.
And about the El Carmel issues when creating the L5 stop.... that's another story but many appartment blocks fall off.
Actually:
- Some lines operated with third rail until overhead current was expanded to all the system (and later subtituted by overhead rail insted of cable). Surprisingly, line 3 from Gracia to Paralel used to operate with overhead cable. In these station people had to switch trains to the ones operated with third rail. I would say that happened until the early 1980s. And indeed they changed again the system some years later.
- Line 1 operates in old spanish gauge 1674mm instead of modern spanish gauge 1668mm. It was originally intended to be a railroad connection between Bordeta (trains to the south) to "Norte", nowadays and approximately Arc de Trionf (trains to the north and France)
- Line 2 is somehow a strange line, as some parts were build during the 1960s and integrated in other lines, as the part from Sagrada Familia to more or less Horta (to line 5) and the part from La Verneda to Badalona wich was integrated in line 4 but returned few decades ago. The southern part of the line consists of two independent TBM tunnels, and trains run on their left from Paralel to the curve under the crossing of Gran Via and Marina streets; this is to allow a curve with enough radius but not interfering under any private land.
- World fair was in 1929
- The stub from line III now integrated in line 4 happens to run though the oldest tunnels of all the system. When opening Via Laietana, a new street crossing the old town, the city council also thought on building tunnels under it, even with some stations. This scheme was unfinished, tunnels had to be completed when integrated to Gran Metro, but left us with an unfinished ghost stop sometimes called Beatas, some other times called Banco. Some urband legend even says that the Bank of Spain building nearby used this station to send money to other banks.
- Line 2 and 5 are switched from its original designs in Sagrada Familia. Right after this station, going north, line 5 has its ghost station called Gaudí. Sometimes it's used to hold adds. Also in line 5 happened the Carmel sinking, when building an extension of the line caused the collapse of several buildings above.
- FGC Vallès line is quite competitve and permanently improving. Meanwhile, Llobregat line has its problems. It's not very competitve with car or bus in its suburban services to Manresa and Igualada. But it keeps moving potash, salt and Seat cars.
GREAT comment!!!
They say that now that FGC Valles works at its peak and is "completed/perfected" they will center their efforts on the L-A line, hope it's true... :)
He mentions in the video at least for one of the lines that it used to run on 3rd rail.
@@f.g.9466 it's part of line 3 :)
I'm currently living and studying in Barcelona and it's metro system is very impressive.. One negative point I'd say is that transfers at Urquinaona, Espanya, Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, etc are pretty inconvenient. They have 1km+ long tunnels which is a bit annoying.. Other than that it's a great system !
1km is exagerating xd. I think the longest is Passeig de Gracia, which is about 250m, still pretty anoying. This is the worst point of the system: the transfers.
And the ultradeep stations of the L9 are creating the super-long escalator transfers, which are also... not good, to say the least
@@pizzaipinya2442 Yeah I probably exagerated but at 7am before class, it does feel way too long hahaha Even with un café con leche...
@@dez7800 noooooooooooooo!!! I'm sorry for you if you have to make one of those on rush hour!! Luckily I only have to make the Collblanc escalators to L9...
dude at 9:30 lost the train lmao, great explanation of the network, i live really close to barcelona myself and even tho i cycled everywhere i do remember seeing sub entrances everywhere and thinking how easy it might be to go across the city using them
For me at least the only problem with Barcelona's metro are L9 ridiculously low speeds. It takes forever to go from the airport to the city center. You spend 30 min on the train, slowly dragging itself through the line's curvy alignment, hearing the same 3 PA announcements over and over again.
They could have made it straight to the airport, but you know, politicians doing their thing, making the metro do spaghettis to serve a place that doesn't even exist now xd
They should have made it straight and build a tram in El Prat city...
Thank you Reece for a very interesting video! But with the multiplicity of operators (and forms of transport in Barcelona) what is the position re integrated ticketing. According to Schwandl's 'Tram Atlas Spain' published back in 2015 'Except for single fares , tickets are valid on all available modes, and fares are paid for each journey rather than per operator.' I sincerely hope that this is still the case!
Indeed it is still the case!! And they are now changing the paper/cardboard tickets for a PVC rechargable ticket!
It is definitely the case. The ATM (Autoritat del Transport Metropolità) is responsible for the integrated fares on the entire system that includes 7 main fare zones (apart from zone 1, other zones are divided into sub zones) covering 346 municipalities and more than 50 operators serving about 5.7 million people.
Edit, I forgot to mention that the integrated fare system applies to all integrated transport means including metro, tram, suburban/regional rail, buses and two funiculars.
@@AL5520 Many thanks for this comprehensive response. In this respect Barcelona is a model to the rest of the world. Many different operators, many different modes, lots of local government areas, BUT ONE TICKET SYTEM. That is a (Swiss-like) Heaven which is desperately needed in Britain where I live.
@@pizzaipinya2442 Thanks
@@AL5520 aren't the funiculars 3? Vallvidrera, Montjuic and Gelida, right? Or Gelida is not integrated just as the Tibidabo funicular and all the transport methods of Montserrat (I think)?
I'm glad you changed the title of the video.
I was just there and the metro system is great overall. I read it’s pretty deep at 85m below ground; however, in both apartments I stayed at (near Plaza Catalunya and Fontane) I could hear the metro passing by starting at 5AM! It’s also expensive st €2.6/ day tickets
The most deep stations near the mountain are at 70-80 meters (being at 85 the deepest) :)
The res of the metro is just one or two floors under the surface.
And if you paid 2€/day...then you probably took the tourist tickets right? They are a bit more expensive than tickets for locals :)
Fascinating! Thank you, dude! 👍 😏
I suppose its only confusing for an outsider who has never used it before. Even though I'm a Brit, i found the London Underground confusing at first, after using it a couple of times its quite straight forward.
I mean if you’re from Barcelona and use the system of course you’ll understand it pretty well 😂
S1 and S2 now stops at all the stations!
"Confusing"? Having used London Underground and busses for over 60 years, NOWHERE is confusing - mostly much simpler :P
Am I the only catalan laughing so hard by the word paradise for Barcelona?
Crazy this many lines and stations in 1,6M city. Definitely one of the reasons why it is one of the best cities to live in.
The municipality is 1.6M the Metro system serves 3M and the metro area is 5.5M that it’s covered by Rodalies.
It also extends on neighboring cities and is included in the zone 1
Live in the states, but took the Barcelona Metro yesterday evening and it was very quick and convenient!
The seemingly haphazard way that the lines wander all over the city means that they interconnect a LOT, which makes for less complicated trips--it's very likely that you can get where you want to go with only one transfer if any.
That is the most "plate of spaghetti"-like metro map I've ever seen! Why did they make the lines wiggle about so much? They could have had a much simpler system if they'd planned ahead and anticipated where other lines might run in the future. Other than that, looks like an impressive system!
Well...
1. The lines were at first from private companies, so there was no planning at all.
2. Some newer lines like L9 are so curvy because of politicians wanting the line to serve everywhere at the same time.
3. Lines and extensions from the 60s-70s are pretty radial, such as L3, which functions as 2 separate lines making that V-shape, or the L4, which had to be originally circular, but finally ended with a C-shape (and soon a G-shape xd).
4. Lots of change to the plans, some related with politics, some with the difficult, changing grounds under Barcelona (everything is underground except for 1 section of L10, 1 station on L1 and 1 on L5), and some simply because of past bad decisions. For example, L2 had to be a sort of vertical line and L5 an horizontal one. But after some genious decided to fusion early L2 with L5, it couldn't be reverted without wasting tons of money, so there you go with strange curvy lines...
Basically, bad decisions were taken during the 60s-70s and on the 90s they worked with what they had, and from the 2000s on, politicians put their hand on the metro creating stupid things such as L11, the curvy L9, and the planned curvy L3 extension :(
@@pizzaipinya2442 Thanks. That does explain a lot.
Once in Barcelona I found a great private cafe called an association. I liked it from the beginning as I had to register in a club to enter. So it wasn’t crowded at all. I got myself a coffee and a very delicious brownie. After a while I felt like walking on clouds and decided to go home to take a nap. I had to enter the L4 in universidad and change to the L3 at Plaça caraluña. But for some reason I always got the wrong train at plaça cataluña and went 40 min back and forth between the two stations of the L4 until I noticed that I’m going in circles. (True story except I knew it wasn’t a cafe)
Its so weird someone talking in english about a metro station I connmute reguralrly
Where can I find out if the metro stops are accessible? I.e have escalators or elevators for wheelchairs or those who can’t manage a lot of stairs?
As far as I know, all FGC stations are accessible!
On the other hand, some TMB stations still aren't. In their website you'll surely find a map stating which are, but be careful: some of the "accessible" stations do have a lift, but the platform is not levelled and there's a metal ramp at one end of the platform for wheelchairs to get on the metro. But I've heard some of those ramps are too far away from the metro, so maybe in some cases it'll be labeled as accessible when it really isn't.
Also, some transfer stations are accessible just for some of the lines.
My recommendation for you would be to use the bus: they are all accessible and everywhere in the city!
Very informative and accurate video!
Hi, I heard in another video on the l line that you'd made a video on Brisbane's cross river rail but couldn't track it down? I was wondering if this video was still up or have I misunderstood?
I'll just add to the "confusing / not confusing" debate that it's been surprising to me, over various visits, that with so many Metro lines there's not a simple, direct service between the airport and the Eixample and city center-- although it sounds like that's in the works. And that being said, the airport bus is outstandingly frequent and reliable. Still, it just seems odd that with such a straightforward road route into the city, the very extensive Metro has been so complicated in providing what's clearly one of the most important connections for any city.
The L9 route to the airport is full spaghetti turns due to politicans wanting to please everyone making the metro pass through every place it went near to.
On the other hand, there once was a shuttle service connecting the airport and the most important stations in Barcelona, but as the train tunnels are now at their highest capacity, this service was eliminated, and now the airport branch is used only every 30 minutes by the line R2North.
In addition, the airport branch only really arrives to Terminal 2, although they now want to create a link to terminal 1 and reopen the shuttle service...
How did you communicate that you want footage or information for this video and other videos like Italy high speed rail?
I think he does it on twitter/instagram
It's a great video, as always, but I do wish you would do some more research of how to say names of places and services in non-English speaking regions. In this case, it's the word "rodalies" which has the stress on the "i", not on the "a". "Rodalies" is in fact the Catalan word for what is called "cercanías" (also stressed on the "i") in Castilian-speaking regions of Spain. It can roughly be thought of as "S-Bahn" or "overground" services.
@@Urbanhandyman Honestly, I don't think so. We all have the internet, and Reece has viewers in many parts of the world. It usually takes seconds or at the most minutes to find out how to say a word like "rodalies" correctly even without local help, but Reece even can reach out to his community of viewers/followers to help him out. And I know from personal experience :-) that this does work.
Reece pronounced nearly all the other local names pretty well, so I suspect he had some help.
We are not talking about reproducing sounds that are totally alien to Western (Northern American) tongues, like tonal languages as in some varieties of Chinese or the clicking sounds of Khoisan languages of Southern Africa. We are talking about stressing the correct syllable of a word in Catalan.
Reece could simply reach out to his community (as he regularly does!) and ask for guidelines on how to say each one of a list of words he is not sure about, and I am sure people, myself included, would come forward and help where they can.
Because we all love his content, and we love to make it better.
I think Rodalies is more of a commuter rail, isn't it? And the S-Bahn would be the FGC lines (don't know a lot about german railways, but for the little I know, it seems to me that this is the case)
@@pizzaipinya2442 Depending on the line and segment Rodalies functions as suburban, commuter and/or regional trains. You can even get to France if you have time and patience.
FGC is mix of lines that were transferred to the Generalitat over the years starting with metre-gauge lines from FEVE; since then it has added some 600mm, standard gauge and Iberian gauge lines.
As Rodalies has now also been transferred to the Generalitat they might slowly merge.
@@tucuuk as far as I know on this difficult matter, they only partially transfered some competences, such as the timetables, lines... It is still served by Renfe and infrastructure is maintained by Adif, so de facto it is still a central government issue.
I would LOVE to see a Rodalies really ran by FGC. Hopefully this will happen when all Cercanias get liberalized!
@@pizzaipinya2442 A couple of years ago the Generalitat got control of the funds to pay the subsidies (to Renfe for now). These days they are asking for full control.
With the new EU rules mandating "liberalization" to be completed by 2033 it would make sense for a consortium of Renfe and FGC to bid for the full lot and run a unified service. For this type of service there will be only one operator unlike the HSR where multiple companies compete on each line. This is a process that we will see in other Cercanias networks (there are 11 in Spain).
Adif will remain the infrastructure operator for the foreseeable future.