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42-473: The original station, named Bilbao-Aduana , was opened on 1 July 1904 as the terminus station of the narrow-gauge Bilbao-Plencia railway , an expansion of the original Bilbao-Las Arenas line, which opened in 1887. The Aduana station replaced the older and less central Bilbao-San Agustín station. The station was located on the former site of a customs building for the city's harbor, hence the name Aduana ( Spanish for 'customs office'). Bilbao-Aduana

84-698: A 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge, whereas Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand have metre-gauge railways . Narrow-gauge trams, particularly metre-gauge, are common in Europe. Non-industrial, narrow-gauge mountain railways are (or were) common in the Rocky Mountains of the United States and the Pacific Cordillera of Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia , Greece, and Costa Rica. A narrow-gauge railway

126-547: A capital of 10 million pesetas and the Biscay Transport Consortium as its only shareholder. The Basque narrow-gauge railway network in which the Bilbao metro has its origins ( line 1 took over most of the existing Bilbao-Plentzia railway) had been managed by Basque Railways (known as Euskotren after 1996) since 1982. However, a separate company was established to manage the metro. The management of

168-425: A curve with standard-gauge rail ( 1435 mm ) can allow speed up to 145 km/h (90 mph), the same curve with narrow-gauge rail ( 1067mm ) can only allow speed up to 130 km/h (81 mph). In Japan and Queensland, recent permanent-way improvements have allowed trains on 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge tracks to exceed 160 km/h (99 mph). Queensland Rail 's Electric Tilt Train ,

210-455: A design speed of 137 km/h (85 mph). Curve radius is also important for high speeds: narrow-gauge railways allow sharper curves, but these limit a vehicle's safe speed. Many narrow gauges, from 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge to 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge, are in present or former use. They fall into several broad categories: 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ) track gauge (also known as Scotch gauge)

252-474: A heavy-duty narrow-gauge line is Brazil's EFVM . 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge, it has over-100-pound rail (100 lb/yd or 49.6 kg/m) and a loading gauge almost as large as US non-excess-height lines. The line has a number of 4,000-horsepower (3,000 kW) locomotives and 200-plus-car trains. Narrow gauge's reduced stability means that its trains cannot run at speeds as high as on broader gauges. For example, if

294-503: A mine in Bohemia with a railway of about 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge. During the 16th century, railways were primarily restricted to hand-pushed, narrow-gauge lines in mines throughout Europe. In the 17th century, mine railways were extended to provide transportation above ground. These lines were industrial , connecting mines with nearby transportation points (usually canals or other waterways). These railways were usually built to

336-825: A number of large 3 ft ( 914 mm ) railroad systems in North America; notable examples include the Denver & Rio Grande and Rio Grande Southern in Colorado; the Texas and St. Louis Railway in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri; and, the South Pacific Coast , White Pass and Yukon Route and West Side Lumber Co of California. 3 ft was also a common track gauge in South America, Ireland and on

378-580: A range of industrial railways running on 500 mm ( 19 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ) and 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ) tracks, most commonly in restricted environments such as underground mine railways, parks and farms, in France. Several 18 in ( 457 mm ) gauge railways were built in Britain to serve ammunition depots and other military facilities, particularly during World War I . Metro Bilbao (company) Metro Bilbao

420-505: A single station. The section between Deusto and Zazpikaleak was closed down to railway traffic on 15 May 2010 once construction for the new line began. In June 2015 the Zazpikaleak station was closed down to be demolished to build a new one in its place. The new station was opened on 8 April 2017 with the new name Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo . The original station built in 1904 was an open-air station with two side platforms located behind

462-491: Is a track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ). It has about 95,000 km (59,000 mi) of track. According to Italian law, track gauges in Italy were defined from the centre of each rail rather than the inside edges of the rails. This gauge, measured 950 mm ( 3 ft  1 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) between the edges of the rails, is known as Italian metre gauge . There were

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504-1110: Is at walking distance from the Arriaga stop of the Bilbao tram . Narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway ( narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge . Most narrow-gauge railways are between 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) and 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves , smaller structure gauges , and lighter rails ; they can be less costly to build, equip, and operate than standard- or broad-gauge railways (particularly in mountainous or difficult terrain). Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often used in mountainous terrain, where engineering savings can be substantial. Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often built to serve industries as well as sparsely populated communities where

546-488: Is one where the distance between the inside edges of the rails is less than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ). Historically, the term was sometimes used to refer to what are now standard-gauge railways , to distinguish them from broad-gauge railways , but this use no longer applies. The earliest recorded railway appears in Georgius Agricola 's 1556 De re metallica , which shows

588-634: Is the company that runs lines 1 and 2 of the Bilbao metro . It is owned by the Biscay Transport Consortium  [ es ] , itself dependent on the Basque Government and the Foral Deputation of Biscay  [ es ] . The ownership of the metro infrastructure is shared by the Biscay Transport Consortium and Euskal Trenbide Sarea . Metro Bilbao, S.A. was established on 28 February 1993 with

630-1021: The Isle of Man . 900 mm was a common gauge in Europe. Swedish three-foot-gauge railways ( 891 mm or 2 ft  11 + 3 ⁄ 32  in ) are unique to that country and were once common all over the country. Today the only 891 mm line that remains apart from heritage railways is Roslagsbanan , a commuter line that connects Stockholm to its northeastern suburbs. A few railways and tramways were built to 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge, including Nankai Main Line (later converted to 3 ft 6 in or 1,067 mm ), Ocean Pier Railway at Atlantic City , Seaton Tramway ( converted from 2 ft ) and Waiorongomai Tramway . 800 mm ( 2 ft  7 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge railways are commonly used for rack railways . Imperial 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge railways were generally constructed in

672-587: The 500mm gauge tracks of their mine railway ; these locomotives were made by the Deutz Gas Engine Company ( Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz ), now Deutz AG . Another early use of internal combustion was to power a narrow-gauge locomotive was in 1902. F. C. Blake built a 7 hp petrol locomotive for the Richmond Main Sewerage Board sewage plant at Mortlake . This 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge locomotive

714-649: The Airport via Sondika . This involved the integration of the Deusto-Lezama line into two new lines, which would be operated by Euskotren instead of Metro Bilbao as the other metro lines. The new line 3 would connect in Etxebarri with the main Euskotren railway line to Bermeo and San Sebastián , which would allow to divert trains through the new Zazpikaleak station, concentrating all Euskotren services in

756-407: The Bilbao to Las Arenas and Plencia Railway Company until 1947, when it was merged with other narrow-gauge lines across the Bilbao metropolitan area to form Ferrocarriles y Transportes Suburbanos de Bilbao S.A. ( Spanish for 'Railways and Suburban Transport of Bilbao', FTS for short) and the first precedent of today's Bilbao metro . During this time the station became the main hub for

798-952: The Philippines demonstrate that if track is built to a heavy-duty standard, performance almost as good as a standard-gauge line is possible. Two-hundred-car trains operate on the Sishen–Saldanha railway line in South Africa, and high-speed Tilt Trains run in Queensland. In South Africa and New Zealand, the loading gauge is similar to the restricted British loading gauge; in New Zealand, some British Rail Mark 2 carriages have been rebuilt with new bogies for use by Tranz Scenic (Wellington-Palmerston North service), Tranz Metro (Wellington-Masterton service), and Auckland One Rail (Auckland suburban services). Another example of

840-544: The central offices for FTS. The name came from the neighboring San Nicolás church. In 1977 the FTS network was transferred to the public company FEVE and in 1982 to the newly created Euskotren . After the transfer, it was announced that parts of the Bilbao-Plencia line would be renewed and transformed into the first line of the Bilbao metro (specifically the section between Deusto and Plentzia ), and thus management of

882-920: The coal industry. Some sugar cane lines in Cuba were 2 ft  3 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 699 mm ). 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railways were generally constructed in the former British colonies. The U.S. had a number of railways of that gauge , including several in the state of Maine such as the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway . 1 ft  11 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 603 mm ), 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) and 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) were used in Europe. Gauges below 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) were rare. Arthur Percival Heywood developed 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge estate railways in Britain and Decauville produced

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924-544: The fastest train in Australia and the fastest 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge train in the world, set a record of 210 km/h (130 mph). The speed record for 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge rail is 245 km/h (152 mph), set in South Africa in 1978. A special 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railcar was built for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company with

966-575: The former British colonies . 760 mm Bosnian gauge and 750 mm railways are predominantly found in Russia and Eastern Europe. Gauges such as 2 ft 3 in ( 686 mm ), 2 ft 4 in ( 711 mm ) and 2 ft  4 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 724 mm ) were used in parts of the UK, particularly for railways in Wales and the borders, with some industrial use in

1008-487: The metro system by an independent company was a result of the 1975 law that established the Biscay Transport Consortium and the 1983 Law of Historical Territories. The creation of a separate company has been criticized as a political decision that left Basque Railways in a weaker position (the Bilbao-Plentzia line was the busiest of its network) and that hindered the reuse of existing infrastructures (particularly in

1050-485: The metro. As part of the works for line 3, the Euskotren station was rebuilt and put underground in the same location as the original railway station. When the station first opened in 1904 as Bilbao-Aduana , it served as the terminus station of the Bilbao-Plencia railway, which linked the city with other municipalities within the Greater Bilbao area as Leioa , Getxo and Plentzia . After 1996 it became part of

1092-526: The old town and the Matiko area. The project involved a new transfer station in the Zazpikaleak station, as well as a renovation of the section between Zazpikaleak and the Zumalakarregi and Matiko stations that until then were part of the Deusto-Lezama line. In 2009 the Basque Government presented the project for the new railway connection with Bilbao Airport , which included a connection from Matiko to

1134-550: The same narrow gauge as the mine railways from which they developed. The world's first steam locomotive , built in 1802 by Richard Trevithick for the Coalbrookdale Company, ran on a 3 ft ( 914 mm ) plateway . The first commercially successful steam locomotive was Matthew Murray 's Salamanca built in 1812 for the 4 ft 1 in ( 1,245 mm ) Middleton Railway in Leeds . Salamanca

1176-424: The station building. The ticket offices and waiting rooms were on the ground floor, as was the access to the platforms. The rest of the building included offices for the railway administration as well as apartments for its workers. After the first renovation made in the 1990s, the building included a main hall with separate access to the Euskotren platforms, which were located on their original situation elevated behind

1218-409: The station facilities was transferred to the Biscay Transport Consortium in 1995. As part of the renovation plans, the original station was demolished and replaced with a more modern one that included a new underground station for the metro and overground open-air platforms for the existing services between Deusto and Bilbao-San Nicolás, which remained separate from the metro network. In 1996 a new tunnel

1260-484: The station, and the Metro Bilbao platforms, which were underground and followed the same cavern-like architecture as those in the rest of the network, designed by Norman Foster . The current station has a large common hall with ticket and customer care offices. There are two platform levels: one of them is used by Euskotren services (including line 3 of the metro), while the other is used by lines 1 and 2 of

1302-458: The suburban line operated by Euskotren from Deusto to Lezama , with services to Derio , Sondika and Zamudio . Since 2019 it serves as a stop for all commuter rail services offered by Euskotren in Biscay. The station served as the southern terminus for line 1 of the metro from its opening in 1995 until the opening of Bolueta station in 1997. Currently, it serves as a connection hub between

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1344-566: The three lines of the network. Unlike the two other lines of the Bilbao metro system (which are operated by Metro Bilbao S.A. ), line 3 is operated by Euskotren , which runs it as part of the Euskotren Trena network. Trains from the Bilbao-San Sebastián , Txorierri and Urdaibai lines of the network run through line 3. The station is also served by local Bilbobus and regional Bizkaibus bus services. The station

1386-475: The traffic potential would not justify the cost of a standard- or broad-gauge line. Narrow-gauge railways have specialised use in mines and other environments where a small structure gauge necessitates a small loading gauge . In some countries, narrow gauge is the standard: Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Australian states of Queensland , Western Australia and Tasmania have

1428-495: The urban railway transit within the city of Bilbao and its metropolitan area, serving the line to Getxo and Plentzia , as well as being in close proximity to other important stations like Bilbao-Abando across the river and Bilbao-Calzadas, also part of the FTS network and with trains serving the Txorierri valley, just a few blocks away. During this time the name of the station was changed to Bilbao-San Nicolás and it also held

1470-565: The world; 19th-century mountain logging operations often used narrow-gauge railways to transport logs from mill to market. Significant sugarcane railways still operate in Cuba, Fiji, Java, the Philippines, and Queensland, and narrow-gauge railway equipment remains in common use for building tunnels. In 1897, a manganese mine in the Lahn valley in Germany was using two benzine -fueled locomotives with single cylinder internal combustion engines on

1512-525: Was adopted by early 19th-century railways, primarily in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. 4 ft  6 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,384 mm ) lines were also constructed, and both were eventually converted to standard gauge. 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) between the inside of the rail heads, its name and classification vary worldwide and it has about 112,000 kilometres (70,000 mi) of track. As its name implies, metre gauge

1554-563: Was also the first rack-and-pinion locomotive. During the 1820s and 1830s, a number of industrial narrow-gauge railways in the United Kingdom used steam locomotives. In 1842, the first narrow-gauge steam locomotive outside the UK was built for the 1,100 mm ( 3 ft  7 + 5 ⁄ 16  in )-gauge Antwerp-Ghent Railway in Belgium. The first use of steam locomotives on a public, passenger-carrying narrow-gauge railway

1596-467: Was an open-air station fitted between a hillside and the street. The trains emerged from a tunnel, named Esperanza tunnel due to its layout parallel to the street with the same name, before reaching the station platforms. The next station was Matico , an open-air station located in the neighborhood of Matiko, which was reached after traversing the Esperanza and Gas tunnels. The station was operated by

1638-476: Was constructed linking Bilbao-San Nicolás with the former Bilbao-Calzadas station, thus linking it with the Txorierri line . The new line ran from Deusto to Lezama and resulted from the merging of the section of the Bilbao-Plencia railway that was not integrated into the metro (from Deusto to Bilbao-San Nicolás) and the line between Bilbao-Calzadas and Lezama. The new line was operated by Euskotren . The station

1680-560: Was in 1865, when the Ffestiniog Railway introduced passenger service after receiving its first locomotives two years earlier. Many narrow-gauge railways were part of industrial enterprises and served primarily as industrial railways , rather than general carriers. Common uses for these industrial narrow-gauge railways included mining, logging, construction, tunnelling, quarrying, and conveying agricultural products. Extensive narrow-gauge networks were constructed in many parts of

1722-592: Was probably the third petrol-engined locomotive built. Extensive narrow-gauge rail systems served the front-line trenches of both sides in World War I . They were a short-lived military application, and after the war the surplus equipment created a small boom in European narrow-gauge railway building. The heavy-duty 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge railways in Australia (Queensland), New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and

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1764-506: Was then once again renamed from Bilbao-San Nicolás to Zazpikaleak ( Basque for 'seven streets', the historical name of the old city), while the underground station was named Casco Viejo ( Spanish for 'old town') and was operated by Metro Bilbao . In 2007 the project for line 3 of the metro was unveiled. The new line would link Etxebarri and Bilbao via the Otxarkoaga-Txurdinaga district, reaching

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