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18-523: Sóller is linked by the historic railway, the Ferrocarril de Sóller , and by a highway with a tunnel, to the Majorcan capital of Palma . The Ferrocaril was built on the profits from the orange and lemon trade and completed in 1911. The Andratx - Pollença highway also runs through the valley. The present-day economy is based mainly on tourism and the expenditure of foreign residents, complementary to

36-405: A company that runs boat trips around the north-east of the island are the two largest shareholders. Tranv%C3%ADa de S%C3%B3ller Source: File:StrassenbahnLinienplanSoller1997.png The Tranvía de Sóller ( Catalan : Tramvia de Sóller ) is a Spanish heritage tramway serving the town of Sóller and the coastal village of Port de Sóller , in the island of Majorca . It

54-504: A fountain in its centre. The tram passes through the Plaça on its way to and from the main station which has been restored to incorporate a museum of Picasso and Joan Miró . The church of Sant Bartomeu ( Saint Bartholomew ) facing the east side of the Plaça is flanked by the ajuntament ( town hall ) and the Banco de Sóller, a remarkable 1912 Modernista building with defining ironwork, by

72-422: A large brick chimney ) lie untouched in the park and there are several train-themed play structures, each one a carriage named after a settlement along the line. Sóller Railway Station (Coordinates: 39°45′53″N 2°42′54″E  /  39.76472°N 2.71500°E  / 39.76472; 2.71500 ) on the other hand is much larger, developed from a fortified house dating from 1606, Ca'n Mayol. The station

90-535: A year. At the official prices charged at the station, single tickets from Palma to Sóller or vice versa cost €18 (2018), and returns are €25. The return ticket from Palma can be extended with a return ticket on the Sóller tram for an additional 7 Euros, which represents a 50% saving since the onboard tram fare is 7 Euros each way. Palma Railway Station (Coordinates: 39°34′36″N 2°39′14″E  /  39.57667°N 2.65389°E  / 39.57667; 2.65389 )

108-505: Is a subtle, relatively small brown brick building with a large "Ferrocarril de Sóller" sign on its façade , partly given up to a museum , cleverly renovated so that the large glass windows reflect the railway tracks to make them look as if they go on into the rooms. The station is just off the Plaça de Espanya and borders a large and popular park which lies on top of the underground Estació Intermodal . Several old railway buildings (one with

126-439: Is also home to the tram which runs from Sóller to Port de Sóller and (inside the building) a museum dedicated to the works of Picasso and Joan Miró . In 2019 an anonymous group of investors launched hostile €25m takeover bid for the railway, represented by Goros Investments. Most of the 172,000 shares in the private company are owned by about 800 local people. As of August 2019 a local tour operator and restaurateur and

144-481: Is an interurban railway and the name for the company which operates the electrified 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge tracks running between the towns of Sóller and Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca (stopping at various smaller towns such as Bunyola and Son Sardina). The historic electric train takes a route north from the capital across the plains, winding through mountains and 13 tunnels of

162-416: Is now largely baroque (1688–1733). The campanar (belltower) blends in well with its neo-Gothic design. The remarkable façade is a 1904 construction, also by Joan Rubió. The old street plan is of Islamic origin and lined with historic houses of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The town has a covered market and is bisected by a fast flowing river with a number of bridges. Sóller is also notable for

180-436: Is one of the smallest European towns with an urban tramway system. The line has 17 stations, most of them simple stops consisting of a concrete platform, with no buildings. Trams run at approximately 30 minute intervals from 07:00 to midnight, reduced to one trip per hour from 20:00. The route starts at Sóller railway station, and the southern passenger terminus is just outside the entrance to that station. Trams start inside

198-538: Is owned by Ferrocarril de Sóller S.A. (FS), the same company operating the heritage rail line linking the town to the city of Palma . The Tranvía de Sóller is one of only two first generation tramways to survive in Spain , along with the Tramvia Blau in the city of Barcelona . The Soller tramway line, which was designed and constructed by the engineer Pedro Garau , opened on 4 October 1913 shortly after

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216-537: The Catalan architect Joan Rubió i Bellver , a follower of Antoni Gaudí . The bank's organisation was founded in 1889 with the money of emigrants who returned prosperous to Sóller. On the other hand, the church can clearly be seen standing out from the canopy of the town from other parts of the Vall de Sóller (the surrounding valley). The original building dates from some time before 1236. The current main interior structure

234-573: The Serra de Tramuntana , finally ending in the large railway station of the northern town of Sóller. Work began on the railway in 1911 on the profits of the orange and lemon trade, which at the time was booming. For this reason, it is sometimes known as the Orange Express . The train is now not only a mode of transport between these two key Mallorcan settlements, but also an attraction in itself, as of 2019 carrying over 1 million passengers

252-502: The agricultural economy based around citrus and olive groves. Soller is unique compared to towns on the rest of the island due to its geographical isolation, being surrounded by the Serra de Tramuntana . This isolation from all other major towns on the island, made it easier to trade with French merchants arriving by sea. The focus of the town is the Plaça Constitució which is surrounded by cafés and has plane trees and

270-892: The houses built in the early twentieth century by emigrants who returned wealthy to the town, particularly those on the Gran Via which reflect the fin de siècle Art Nouveau styles of France. The renowned Jardí Botanic ( botanical garden ) is on the outskirts of the town and is laid out with the plants of the Balearics and the Mediterranean islands. The Modernista mansion in the garden houses El Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals (The Museum of Balearic Natural Sciences). Ferrocarril de S%C3%B3ller   [REDACTED] bus connections The Ferrocarril de Sóller ( Catalan pronunciation: [ˌfɛrukəˈril də ˈsoʎə] ; English: Railway of Sóller ), acronym FS ,

288-612: The inauguration of Palma-Sóller rail line , and started regular service on 13 October of that year. Electrified from the start of operation, the line is 4.868 km (3 mi 44 yd) long, has a single track with passing loops and runs on 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge tracks. It is a popular tourist attraction, especially since the early 2000s, as it uses attractive heritage rolling stock. In 2010 it carried approximately 900,000 passengers. Along with other small towns such as Gmunden ( Austria : Gmunden Tramway ) or Volchansk ( Russia : Volchansk tram system ), Sóller

306-465: The northern suburb of Sóller and the village of Horta, crosses the MA-11 road, and then runs parallel to that road. Finally, it enters the town of Port de Sóller at the "Sa Torre" stop, and travels along the pedestrianised seafront to the marina at the north end. The provision of passing loops enables several vehicles to be in transit between the termini, and in high season relief trams run closely behind

324-425: The railway yard at the tram depot, which is linked to the main railway. On arrival from Port de Soller, trams enter the yard to shunt locomotives for the return trip, but passengers are not allowed into the depot. The track passes through the town's centre, close to the church of San Bartolomé and goes through the main square, sharing the public road with motor vehicles. The line then follows its own route, through

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