Trip to France and Spain - January / February 2020
General Notes
First - and as it happened, only - overseas trip of 2020 was planned with the dual purpose of travelling on the PTG "Alco Holic 5" 4-day railtour starting from Madrid, and visiting my sister who lives near Huelva. As I needed a fair few new sections of line in France and Spain I thought I would also travel overland both ways. That didn't quite go to plan.....
Operating Company Abbreviations:
- RENFE - Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles (principal train operator in Spain)
- SNCF - Société nationale des chemins de fer français (national train operator in France)
Track gauge
In France and United Kingdom: standard gauge. In Spain: broad gauge 1668 mm unless otherwise stated; standard gauge: 1435 mm. Gauge changing trains are specifically described.
| Place | Arrive | Depart | Train | Traction details & notes |
Wednesday 22nd January 2020
| Timperley | 07:42 | Manchester tram 30?? + 3043 | ||
| Deansgate-Castlefield | 08:08 | 08:12 | Manchester tram 3064 | |
| Piccadilly | 08:32 | |||
| Manchester Piccadilly | 08:55 | Avanti West Coast EMU 390 132 via Stockport, Crewe, WCML | ||
| London Euston | 11:07 | |||
| London St Pancras International | 12:58 | EST 9132 | Eurostar EMU 3016+3015 called at Ebbsfleet, Calais-Fréthun | |
| Lille Europe | 15:30 [44] | 17:01 [16] | TGV 9836 | SNCF TGV 4526 dep 16 late |
| via TGV-Haute-Picardie (slow running) - Bif. Vémars Nord - Aeroport CDG 2-TGV (call 18:00; dep 28 late) - Marne La Vallee-Chessy (call 18:13; dep 29 late) - Bif. Pasilly - Lyon Part Dieu (call 20:10; dep 44 late) - Valence TGV (call 20:47; dep 48 late) | ||||
| Nîmes | 21:35 | arr 40 late | ||
| New passenger track today: high speed lines: Bif Vémars Nord - Aeroport CDG 2-TGV - Marne La Vallee-Chessy - Bif Coubert - Bif Moisenay; Valence TGV - Nîmes. | ||||
| Overnight: Ibis Styles Hotel, Nîmes (outside Nîmes station) (1st of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes Overland from home to Nîmes in the one day. |
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Thursday 23rd January 2020
| Nîmes | 08:10 | TER 73990 | SNCF DMU 73578+73582 via new curve | |
| Alès | 08:41 | 09:30 | TER 77509 | SNCF DMU 73582+73578 via new curve |
| Nîmes | 10:07 | |||
| Nîmes Gare Routière | 11:20 | '121' | bus | |
| Remoulins | 11:58 | 11:58 | '121' | bus |
| Rond Point Pont du Gard | 12:03 | visit Pont du Gard photos. | ||
| Rond Point Pont du Gard | 15:53 | '121' | bus | |
| Remoulins | 16:08 | 16:09 | '121' | bus |
| Nîmes Gare Routière | 16:45 | |||
| New passenger track today: Nîmes: new curve onto Alès line. | ||||
| Overnight: Ibis Styles Hotel, Nîmes (outside Nîmes station) (2nd of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes Firstly by train to Alès and back to cover the new curve to that line; last time I was in the area these trains reversed at Courbessac yard. Then a walk around the centre of Nîmes looking at the Roman Amphitheatre - no time to look around inside. I've always wanted to visit the Pont du Gard, finally got an opportunity on this trip. It was built as part of the aqueduct works providing the water supply for the Roman colony of Nemausus (today's Nîmes), which was founded in the first century B.C. The aqueduct was built in 40 - 60 A.D. It crosses the Gardon River near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard in southern France and is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges. Total height is 49 m, present length 275 m. See separate album. On the return from the Pont du Gard I had a look around the station site at Vers-Pont-du-Gard, there appears to still be some freight traffic on this short branch from Remoulins. Finally a further look around Nîmes including the Roman Temple. During the day I found out that flooding south of Beziers had blocked the line towards Narbonne and Spain, my intended route for the next day - and all trains were cancelled. Needing to be in Madrid by Friday evening I searched for alternatives, and found a sensibly-priced flight from Marseille to Madrid on the Friday evening. |
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Friday 24th January 2020
| Nîmes | 08:07 | SNCF EMU 81616/5+27885/6 | ||
| Arles | 08:37 | 08:53 | SNCF EMU 81669/70+81641/2 | |
| Avignon Centre | 09:12 | 09:28 | SNCF EMU 84619/20 | |
| Avignon TGV | 09:33 | 10:11 | SNCF EMU 64620/19 | |
| Avignon Centre | 10:16 | 11:18 [D] | SNCF EMU 81646/5+81764/3 | |
| via Cavaillon - Miramas - Rignac - main line | ||||
| Marseille St Charles | 13:19 | 13:51 | SNCF EMU 81806/5 via Arenc–Euroméditerranée | |
| Sausset-les-Pins | 14:31 | 14:52 | SNCF DMU 72526 via Arenc–Euroméditerranée | |
| Marseille St Charles | 15:36 | |||
| Marseille St Charles Gare Routière | 16:00 | '91' | bus | |
| Marseille Airport (MRS) | 16:30 | 19:05 | ||
| Madrid Airport (MAD) | 20:55 | |||
| Aeropuerto T4 | 21:48 | 'C-1' | Madrid | |
| Madrid Charmartín | 22:07 | |||
| New passenger track today: Marseille: route via Arenc–Euroméditerranée; Aeropuerto T4 - Hortaleza - Madrid Chamartin. | ||||
| Overnight: PTG Hotel Barcelo Imagine Madrid (1 night). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes My original plan had been to travel from Nîmes to Madrid today by through TGV, which would have been almost all "required track". However very heavy rain the previous day had flooded the line around Narbonne and Perpignan, and SNCF advised me that all such trains would be cancelled. Fortunately I found a reasonably-priced flight from Marseille to Madrid, and being an evening departure I had all day today to get there via a couple of routes I'd not previously travelled over. I would have covered the re-opened line from Avignon to Carpentras but the useful service was a replacement bus due to the ongoing strike action. After the flight from Marseille to Madrid I caught a local service from Madrid Airport to Madrid Charmartín station. |
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Saturday 25th January 2020
| Madrid Charmartín | 07:20 | 'C-1' | RENFE EMU 032 set via Recoletos | |
| Madrid Principe Pio | 07:46 | 08:30 | 39099/8 | ALSA DL 2150 top-n-tail 2148 |
| via reversal beyond Madrid Principe Pio - Delicias – Villaverde Bajo - Aranjuez – Castillejo-Añover - Algodor (reverse) – Villaluenga Yuncler (reverse) | ||||
| Talavera de la Reina | 11:20 | 12:35 | 39130/1 | ALSA DL 2150+2148 |
| via Plasencia avoiding line – Cáceres | ||||
| Mérida (reverse) | 16:40 | 17:00 | 37344 | ALSA DL 2148+2150 |
| Zafra | 17:55 | |||
| New passenger track today: Madrid Charmartín - Madrid Principe Pio - Madrid Delicias; Villaverde Bajo - Aranjuez – Castillejo-Añover; Villaluenga Yuncler - Talavera de la Reina – Plasencia avoiding line – Cáceres. New non-passenger track today: Delicias - Bif Museo - Santa Catalina - Villaverde Bajo; Castillejo-Añover - Algodor - Villaluenga Yuncler. |
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| Overnight: PTG Hotel Huerta Honda, Zafra (1st of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes Day 1 of the PTG "Alco Holic 5" Railtour. |
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Sunday 26th January 2020
| Zafra | 07:40 | 37346 | ALSA DL 2148+2150 | |
| via Jabugo-Galaroza - Valdelamusa - Gibraleón - Huelva Mercancías | ||||
| Huelva (reverse) | (11:43) | (13:09) | 37345 | ALSA DL 2150+2148 |
| via Los Rosales - Villanueva del Río y Minas - Cazalla y Constantina | ||||
| Zafra | 17:41 | |||
| New passenger track today: none. | ||||
| Overnight: PTG Hotel Huerta Honda, Zafra (2nd of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes Day 2 of the PTG "Alco Holic 5" Railtour. We were supposed to visit Huelva docks but it was refused at the last minute. |
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Monday 27th January 2020
| Zafra | 08:00 | 39313/2 | ALSA DL 2150+2148 | |
| via Mérida - Almorchón - Almadenejos-Almaden - Puertellano (lunch break) - Ciudad Real avoiding line - Manzanares - Alcazár de San Juan - Aranjuez - Villaverde Bajo - Vallecas - Vicálvaro Mercancías - O'Donnell - Hortaleza | ||||
| Madrid Charmartín | 21:43 | |||
| New passenger track today: Mérida - Almorchón - Almadenejos-Almaden - Puertellano - Ciudad Real south junction; Ciudad Real east junction - Manzanares - Alcazár de San Juan - Castillejo-Añover; O'Donnell - Hortaleza. New non-passenger track today: Ciudad Real south - east avoiding curve; Villaverde Bajo - Vallecas - Vicálvaro Mercancías - O'Donnell. |
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| Overnight: PTG Hotel Weare Charmartín (1st of 2 nights). Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes Day 3 of the PTG "Alco Holic 5" Railtour. |
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Tuesday 28th January 2020
| Madrid Charmartín | 07:24 | 'C-1' | RENFE EMU 466 001+013 sets via Recoletos | |
| Madrid Principe Pio | 07:50 | 07:55 | 39046/7 | ALSA DL 2148+2150 |
| via Pinar - diveunder lines past the Talgo depot | ||||
| Las Matas (reverse) | 08:20 | 08:43 | 39050/1 | ALSA DL 2150+2148 |
| via Pinar - Pitis - Fuencarral (reverse) - Bif. Fuencarral - Tres Cantos | ||||
| Colmenar-Viejo (reverse) | 09:44 | 10:00 | 39052 | ALSA DL 2150+2148 |
| via Bif. Fuencarral - Fuencarral - Bif. Hortaleza - Alcalá de Henares | ||||
| Guadalajara (reverse) | 11:05 | 11:34 | 39055/4 | ALSA DL 2148+2150 |
| via Alcalá de Henares - Vicálvaro Mercancías - Vallecas | ||||
| Villaverde Bajo (reverse) | 12:45 | 13:00 | 39069 | ALSA DL 2150+2148 |
| via Santa Catalina - Bif. Museo | ||||
| Museo (Madrid Delicias Railway Museum) | 13:16 | |||
| Delicias | 15:47 | 'C-1' | RENFE EMU 465 061+064 sets | |
| Madrid Atocha Cercanías | 15:52 | 17:06 | 'C-1/C-7' | RENFE EMU 465 061+064 sets |
| via Principe Pio - Las Rozas - Pitis - Charmartín - Recoletos tunnel | ||||
| Madrid Atocha Cercanías | 18:18 | 18:28 | 'C-3' | RENFE EMU 465 106+013 sets via Sol tunnel |
| Madrid Charmartín | 18:39 | 19:38 | 'C-4' | RENFE EMU 465 030 set via Sol tunnel |
| Madrid Atocha Cercanías | 19:48 | 20:36 | 'C-1' | RENFE EMU 465 030 set via Recoletos tunnel |
| Madrid Charmartín | 20:52 | |||
| Overnight: PTG Hotel Weare Charmartín (2nd of 2 nights). | ||||
| New passenger track today: Principe Pio - Las Rozas - (northbound) - Pinar; Las Matas - Pinar - (eastbound) - Bif. Principe Pio - Pitis; Bif. Fuencarral - Cantoblanco Universidad - Colmenar-Viejo; O'Donnell - Alcalá de Henares - Guadalajara; Atocha - Charmartín via Sol tunnel. New non-passenger track today: Pinar - via diveunder lines past the Talgo depot - Las Matas; Pitis - Fuencarral; Fuencarral - Bif. Fuencarral; Fuencarral - Bif. Hortaleza; Bif. Vicálvaro Clasificación - Vicálvaro Mercancías - Vallecas. Today's photos. |
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| Notes Day 4 of the PTG "Alco Holic 5" Railtour. At Madrid Delicias Railway Museum we had a ride on the miniature railway and a look around the museum. On the way back to the hotel I spent some time in Madrid Atocha station having a look around (the old station area is now cafes and a garden) as I would have to get up early next morning and wouldn't have time to search for the correct departure area. |
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Wednesday 29th January 2020
| Madrid Charmartín | 06:07 | 'C-7' | RENFE EMU 450 034 set via Recoletos tunnel | |
| Madrid Atocha Cercanías | 06:22 | |||
| Madrid Puerta de Atocha | 07:00 | AVE 2070 | RENFE AVE EMU class 100 set 010 standard gauge | |
| Sevilla Santa Justa | 09:32 | 10:00 | MD 13037 | RENFE EMU 449 007 |
| Huelva | 11:38 | |||
| By car to my sister's village Sanlúcar de Guadiana, via three areas of disused railway interest in the Huelva area. | ||||
| New passenger track today: Madrid Puerta de Atocha - Córdoba - Sevilla Santa Justa (standard gauge); Sevilla Santa Justa - Huelva. Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes After the PTG tour I had arranged to visit my sister who lives in a Finca near Sanlúcar de Guadiana, some 55 km north-west of the nearest railhead at Huelva. Travel from Madrid was by standard gauge AVE train from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Sevilla Santa Justa, then by Media Distancia train to Huelva. Using my sister's car we visited three areas of disused railway interest in the Huelva area, with my sister's dogs also enjoying the walking. |
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Saturday 1st February 2020
| Sanlúcar de Guadiana | 08:00 | ? | bus | |
| Huelva | 09:30 | 10:25 | Alvia 2205 | RENFE EMU class 120 set 057 broad gauge |
| via Majarabique gauge changer to standard gauge | ||||
| Madrid Puerta de Atocha | 14:10 | 15:05 | Alvia 609 | RENFE EMU class 120 set 097 standard gauge |
| via Plasencia de Jalon gauge changer to broad gauge | ||||
| Tudela de Navarra | 17:15 | 18:31 | Alvia 621 | RENFE EMU class 130 set 097 broad gauge |
| via Zaragoza Delicias gauge changer to standard gauge | ||||
| Zaragoza Delicias | 19:16 | |||
| Overnight: Hotel Eurostars Zaragoza, within Zaragoza Delcias station (1 night). | ||||
| New passenger track today: Bif. San Jerónimo - Majarabique gauge changer - Majarabique; Madrid Puerta de Atocha - Bif. Cambiador Plasencia de Jalón – Plasencia de Jalón gauge changer - Cambiador de Plasencia-Aguja km 308.6 -Grisén - Cabañas de Ebro - Tudela de Navarra; Cabañas de Ebro - Zaragoza-Delicias gauge changer - Zaragoza-Delicias. Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes Now returning overland from my sister's place near Huelva to my home near Manchester, over three days. My sister has joined me for this trip to see a bit more of Spain and France. First day takes us to Zaragoza, starting with a bus from Sanlúcar de Guadiana village to Huelva, where the bus station is close to the former railway station on the original line from Zafra. We caught three trains: Huelva - Madrid - Tudela de Navarra - Zaragoza, and each train changed gauge (and overhead supply voltage) once on its journey. The gauge changing is done at about 10 km/h and is generally very smooth. |
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Sunday 2nd February 2020
| Zaragoza Delicias | 06:40 | Reg 15638 | RENFE DMU 596 009 via Huesca (reverse) | |
| Canfranc | 10:31 | 11:41 | bus 50645 | SNCF bus |
| Bedous | 12:21 | 12:31 | TER 867426 | SNCF DR 73515 |
| Pau | 13:40 | |||
| lower station | 13:53 | Pau funicular, right car | ||
| upper station | 13:55 | 14:06 | Pau funicular, left car | |
| lower station | 14:08 | |||
| Pau | 14:48 | TGV 8583 | SNCF DD TGV 868 | |
| Bordeaux St Jean | 16:58 | |||
| St Jean | 18:45 | 'D' | Bordeaux tram | |
| Quinconnes | 18:57 | 19:19 | 'B' | Bordeaux tram |
| Berges de la Garonne | 19:39 | 19:42 | 'B' | Bordeaux tram |
| Quinconnes | 20:00 | 20:03 | 'D' | Bordeaux tram |
| St Jean | 20:15 | |||
| Overnight: Hotel Ibis Styles Bordeaux, outside St Jean station (1 night). | ||||
| New passenger track today: Zaragoza Delicias - Huesca - Canfranc; Bedous - Oloron-Ste. Marie. Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes From Zaragoza to Bordeaux to cover a threatened route in Spain and a line in France that has reopened since I was last in the area. Starting in Zaragoza Delicias on a single diesel railcar via reversal at Huesca and on to the splendid famous station at Canfranc; then by SNCF bus through the tunnel into France and on to Bedous; then by local train to Pau and then TGV to Bordeaux. Time in Pau to go and do the funicular near the station. |
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Wednesday 3rd February 2020
| St Jean | 09:14 | 'C' | Bordeaux tram 2244 | |
| Parc des Expositions - Stade Matmut-Atlantique | 09:47 | 09:58 | 'C' | Bordeaux tram 2244 |
| Place Ravezies | 10:06 | 10:12 | 'C' | Bordeaux tram 2203 |
| Gare de Blanquefort | 10:28 | 10:38 | 'C' | Bordeaux tram 2203 |
| Quinconnes | 11:02 | 11:08 | 'D' | Bordeaux tram 1308 |
| Tauzia | 11:16 | |||
| Bordeaux St Jean | 12:53 | SNCF EMU 81603/4 | ||
| Angoulême | 14:20 | 13:37 | TGV 5284 | SNCF TGV 4401 dep 78 late |
| via Luxé - Bif. Juille - high speed line - Bif. Fontenay-le-Comte - Poitiers (14:17/14:20; dep 79 late) - Bif. Migné-Auxances - high speed line - Bif. Monts - St Pierre des Corps (14:50/14:53; dep 81 late) - high speed line - Massy TGV (15:45/15:55; dep 79 late) - Valenton - Bif. Coubert - Marne-la-Vallee-Chessy (16:31/16:35; dep 88 late) - Aeroport Charles de Gaulle (16:45/17:07; dep 73 late) | ||||
| Lille Europe | 17:58 | arr 80 late | ||
| Lille Europe | 21:00 | 9153 | Eurostar EMU 374 026 called at Calais-Fréthun, Ebbsfleet | |
| London St Pancras International | 21:33 | arr 6 late | ||
| London Euston | 22:00 | Avanti West Coast DMU 221 005 | ||
| Crewe | 00:16 | 00:44 | Northern EMU 323 325 | |
| Manchester Airport | 01:07 | 01:15 | taxi | |
| Timperley | 01:30 | |||
| New passenger track today: Luxé - Bif. Juille - high speed line - Bif. Fontenay-le-Comte - Poitiers; Bif. Migné-Auxances - high speed line - Bif. Monts - St Pierre des Corps; high speed line - Massy TGV; Valenton - Bif. Coubert. Today's photos. | ||||
| Notes The last day of the journey home to Manchester started with a morning trip around a couple of the tram route termini in Bordeaux. We were booked on the 12:59 TGV to Lille Europe but the inward working was running 3+ hours late due to overhead supply problems south of Paris. We were advised to catch a local train to Angoulême, where we picked up the TGV working. This then ran as booked via the high speed line but calling at Poitiers; then via the high speed line and calling at St Pierre des Corps; again on the high speed line to Massy TGV; and finally on the high speed line via Valenton and Coubert to Marne-la-Vallee-Chessy and Aeroport Charles de Gaulle. All this was 80 to 90 minutes late with the result that we missed our booked Eurostar train at Lille Europe (18:35) and also the following 19:35. We changed our tickets for free without any problems onto the 21:00 Eurostar, which was one of the newer and less comfortable Siemens Class 374 type. A quick dash along the Euston Road saw us catch the 22:00 Euston to Crewe then the 00:44 Crewe to Manchester Airport from where we got a taxi home - arriving at 01:30 instead of about 23:00. |
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