Guess what, I made another map
By Astrid • Published on 08/07/2025
Yup. I made another map. What about it.
This time around, a mid-to-long-term proposal for the Catalonian railway network. An ambitious network designed to connect towns between them without going through the capital. Ambitious when compared with the official planning, of course; this network could be a lot larger and this country a lot more interconnected.
Most of the map depicts infrastructure that already exists. The current network does a mostly decent job in connecting most of the population, albeit this population is concentrated in a small area around Barcelona.
What’s the problem?
This is a centralized network, which makes it poorly suited to connect one side of the country with the opposite one, or even from one edge to the center of it. Cities like Girona and Vic are close by, and there’s a mostly direct road connection between them; however, the only rail connection goes through Barcelona, forming an annoying V shape.
Besides, a lot more passengers (have to) use the service now compared to ten or twenty years ago, but the biggest difference has been the amount of freight trains in the network, which has remained mostly unchanged for forty years.
What’s the solution?
The majority of ideas to decentralize the network were already proposed many years back, but due to financial reasons and other political excuses, they have been sitting in a drawer collecting dust. In the meantime, the network has not been able to keep up with the demand, and due to the government’s unwillingness to properly maintain it, it’s falling apart piece by piece.
What did they propose, then? Let’s get into it
Orbital line
Proposed about 20 years ago already, it was supposed to connect from coast to coast, going around Barcelona, in a sort of semicircle. It would help to alleviate through-traffic in Barcelona, as well as connect some towns that don’t have a direct or convenient rail connection between them.
Transversal arterial railway
Proposed around the same time as the previous one, it was supposed to be a mixed-use standard gauge higher speed line connecting the northeast with the west in a more direct way. It would also bring proper rail connection to the central Catalonian region.
What else is on the map?
I added several tram-train lines, most of which are based on existing projects, designed to link clusters of towns in a convenient way, most of which follow the path of now unused or dismantled railway lines. These lines are supposed to act like a train between towns, but more like a tramway when passing through them.
There’s also a connection with the neighboring country of Andorra, which does not possess any rail as of now; as well as a new connection with France through Val d’Aran and Banhèras de Luishon.
