La Coruna Tramway
I visited La Coruña Tramway twice in 2010 on cruises.
On My first visit in April the tramway had not commenced running for the season. When I visited again on August 01 the ship arrived early and with the service not due to commence until around noon, I decided to walk the entire route.
The two terminals – one near the harbour and the other Av. Buenos Aires at Riazor were not actually that far apart as the crow flies, however the line followed the coastal road Paseo Maratimo around the headland on which the historic lighthouse “Tower of Hercules” is located which made for a much longer 5km route.
The original La Coruña Tramway system closed around 1962. The present heritage tramway was the brainchild of the then Mayor and the heavily and obviously expensively constructed line opened in 1997.
Though the tramway was marketed as a heritage linem trams were crewed by staff from the local bus company Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña. With only a limited seasonal timetable operated and the low fares charged it is difficult to see how the tramway covered its construction let alone operating costs.
In 2011 the service was suspended. Though I have not visited La Coruña since 2010 I have noted from Google Street View that the section of the line from the harbour to near the Tower of Hercules has now been de-wired though the track remains in situ. The tramway used two replica La Coruña Tramway cars and two Lisbon cars. Despite only having four cars the line had quite an extensive depot.
Read MoreOn My first visit in April the tramway had not commenced running for the season. When I visited again on August 01 the ship arrived early and with the service not due to commence until around noon, I decided to walk the entire route.
The two terminals – one near the harbour and the other Av. Buenos Aires at Riazor were not actually that far apart as the crow flies, however the line followed the coastal road Paseo Maratimo around the headland on which the historic lighthouse “Tower of Hercules” is located which made for a much longer 5km route.
The original La Coruña Tramway system closed around 1962. The present heritage tramway was the brainchild of the then Mayor and the heavily and obviously expensively constructed line opened in 1997.
Though the tramway was marketed as a heritage linem trams were crewed by staff from the local bus company Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña. With only a limited seasonal timetable operated and the low fares charged it is difficult to see how the tramway covered its construction let alone operating costs.
In 2011 the service was suspended. Though I have not visited La Coruña since 2010 I have noted from Google Street View that the section of the line from the harbour to near the Tower of Hercules has now been de-wired though the track remains in situ. The tramway used two replica La Coruña Tramway cars and two Lisbon cars. Despite only having four cars the line had quite an extensive depot.
