Igualada station

An FGC train at Igualada in 2006

Igualada station is a train and bus station serving the city of Igualada in Catalonia, Spain. It is the terminus of the R6 service (and the R60 semi-express) of the metre-gauge Llobregat–Anoia line network, which is operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), the Catalan government's railway company, connecting Igualada with Barcelona (Plaça d'Espanya), about 60km away.^[1] The station is located in fare zone 6, the outer limits of the Rodalies Barcelona network.^[2]

History

The first train at Igualada in 1893, with the station building in the background

It was originally envisaged that the main Madrid–Barcelona rail line would pass through Igualada, but this plan was dropped in favour of passing through Manresa, to the north.^[3] Railway eventually arrived at Igualada in 1893 in the form of a narrow-gauge line, and the station was built near the north-western end of the city. In 1978 it was replaced with a new station near the south-eastern end of the city, resulting in the closure of the final 1.5km of line through the city and the elimination of several busy level crossings. The old station was demolished and the closed line lifted, and the freed-up land was added to the adjoining linear park along Passeig Jacint Verdaguer. In 2015, it was announced that the railway station would be replaced with a new one with underground platforms slightly further south-east, and 300m of line would be moved underground to eliminate the remaining level crossing, at a cost of €21m.^[4]