Faster and Cheaper Trains! High Speed Rail to Madrid

Have you ever wondered why our stretch of the Costa Brava doesn’t have a train service? Did you know that it once did? For almost 70 years, between 1887 and 1956, there was a train linking the port of Palamós with the interior, eventually making its way to Girona.

The service began in 1887 on a 33km section from Palamós to Flaça, with a further 16km being added in 1921 from Flaça to Pont Major and on to Girona. Seven years later an additional 14km spur from Pont Major to the lake town of Banyoles was added, making it 63km of track in total.

The railway operated successfully until the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) during which many of its stations and bridges were destroyed. In 1941 a study was carried out to look into modernising the line, including possibly building a broad-gauge line between Palamós and Flaça, but the Spanish state didn’t have any real interest in the project and started taking steps to begin closing the railway line altogether. There was much local opposition to the closure from the towns along the route but, sadly, despite their best efforts, the last journey on the line took place on 1 March 1956.