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With about 1 million inhabitants, Bilbao (Bilbo in Basque) is the largest metropolitan area in the Basque Country (Northern Spain) (including towns like Portugalete, Sestao, Algorta, Barakaldo). The metropolitan area spreads out along both sides of the river Nervión, suggesting a 'Y' form metro system.
On 11 November 1995, Line 1 opened from Casco Viejo to Plentzia, using existing suburban surface tracks formerly served by the Basque Railways (EuskoTrenbideak) between Lutxana and Plentzia. A new tunnel was built between Lutxana and Casco Viejo (Old Town) through the city centre. Metro Bilbao therefore uses 1-meter-gauge. The second section, Casco Viejo - Bolueta, was taken into service in July 1997. At Bolueta, the Metro line connects directly to EuskoTren's suburban service towards Bermeo and Eibar.

The first line starts on an elevated structure at Bolueta (on top of EuskoTren's station), then immediately enters the tunnel through the city centre crossing the river Nervión twice in a tunnel (between Casco Viejo and Abando and between San Mamés and Deusto) and arrives at San Inazio (a three-track station - two separate tracks with a central platform for inbound line 1 and line 2 trains). After this station Line 1 comes up to the surface and runs along the former suburban line through industrial zones (serving Erandio in a tunnel station). In Areeta (Las Arenas) the line goes underground again for 1 km and after that it runs mainly on an elevated structure through the nice residential area of Getxo (Algorta also in tunnel) to Bidezabal. After that the environment gets really rural and typically Basque with cows grazing on meadows next to the train. Eventually from Urduliz onwards, the line is single track and runs down to Plentzia by the sea through nice woodlands.

Construction work for Line 2 began in 1997. This line shares tracks with Line 1 between Basauri and San Inazio. The first new 5.8 km stretch from San Inazio to Urbinaga opened on 13 April 2002. This line is almost totally underground. At Urbinaga, the only section on an elevated structure due to geographical reasons in the Galindo Valley, a transfer station to Renfe's Santurtzi and Muskiz service is being built.

Trains for the Bilbao Metro were made by CAF (a company situated in the Basque Country itself, which also produces metro trains for Barcelona and Madrid), and are equipped with air conditioning, acoustic and visual station announcement. Cars are of the modern walk-through type. Although narrow gauge (1000 mm) is used, trains are still 2.8 m wide.

Stations were designed by Norman Foster and are identical between Santutxu and Deusto, and on Line 2 (except Ansio and Urbinaga). Sarriko and San Inazio have a similar design, instead of a round cave they boats a large square hall. All stations are fully accessible with elevators, and escalators usually are also installed between vestibule and street level but not down to the platforms (which can be a bit annoying at Abando (Railway Station) where the lift doesn't take you directly to the railway station complex!
From the street most stations are accessed through "Fosteritos", typical glass entrances named after the architect. Casco Viejo station is situated in the mountain and can be accessed almost at grade from the central Plaza Miguel de Unamuno or via an elevator from the top of the mountain Begoña.

Information panels including route map, timetables, station environment and prices are very clear.

11 Nov. 1995 - Casco Viejo - Plentzia (26.4 km)
05 July 1997 - Casco Viejo - Bolueta (2.0 km)
13 April 2002 - San Inazio - Urbinaga (5.9 km)
08 Jan 2005 - Urbinaga - Sestao (1.0 km)
08 Jan 2005 - Bolueta - Etxebarri (1.0 km)
20 Jan 2007 - Sestao - Portugalete (1.9 km)

 Projects

Line 2 will reach Santurtzi in 2008 and Kabiezes in 2010. San Inazio - Kabiezes will be 12.6 km long and run parallel to the existing Renfe Bilbao-Santurtzi line. Whereas the Renfe line follows the river very closely (and therefore stations are sometimes too far from urban centres), the metro line will run further uphill and reduce walking distance to the stations.

At the southern end both metro lines will arrive at Basauri in 2011. Line 1 from Plentzia to Basauri will then be 31.9 km long, of which 11.4 km (Basauri - San Inazio) will be shared with line 2. Total length of the network in 2011 will be 44.5 km with 41 stations.

Metro Bilbao operates from 6:00 to 23:00. Trains leaving Etxebarri serve San Inazio every 2.5 minutes, Sestao every 5 minutes, Bidezabal every 5-10 minutes, Larrabasterra every 10-20 minutes and Plentzia every 20 minutes during daytime hours. On Saturdays the Bilbao Metro operates every 30 minutes all through the night. On Fridays service is extended until 2:00. On Line 1, a ride from Etxebarri to Plentzia takes 47 minutes.

Fares

The Bilbao metro network is divided into 3 zones (Zone A Bolueta - San Inazio, Zone B0 Bolueta - Etxebarri, Zone B1 Lutxana - Berango, Zone B2 Gurutzeta/Cruces - Portugalete, Zone C Larrabasterra - Plentzia)
Prices shown are for (1), (2) or (3) zones, in 2008 (in Euro):

Ocasional - Single (1) 1.30 - (2) 1.45 - (3) 1.55
Day Pass - 4.00 (all zones)
Creditrans (1 journey) - (1) 0.68 - (2) 0.81 - (3) 0.91; cashcard offering discounts when transferring from metro to bus/rail or viceversa. Available for 5, 10 or 15 euros.

metrobilbao (Official Page)

Renfe Cercanías (Suburban Rail)

EuskoTren (Basque Railways)

Consorcio de Transportes de Bizcaia

creditrans - cashcard valid on metro and buses

UrbanRail.Net Bilbao Metro Gallery

Foster and Partners (the architect's site includes more photographs)

Especial en CORREO DIGITAL "El nueva tranvía"

Scanned map from my collection - 1997 (58 K)

Other Rail Transport in the Bilbao Metropolitan Area

Bilbao Metro at wikipedia

Die Metro von Bilbao bei wikipedia.de

Bilbao Tram on UrbanRail.Net

Schwandl, Robert: METROS IN SPAIN. The Underground Railways of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao.
Capital Transport Publishing, London, July 2001- ISBN 1854142429

Metro Bilbao - Ingeniería y arquitectura - Ingeniaritzako eta arkitekturak. - Imebisa, 1998. 153 pages, many photographs, text in Spanish and Basque (English version available). ISBN 84-923479-0-2

All photographs © UrbanRail.Net (Robert Schwandl)

For further info and more photos click here >>>

Renfe (Spanish National Railways) operates three suburban lines from the centre of Bilbao. Until March 4, 1999 the Muskiz and Santurtzi lines terminated at La Naja which is quite close to Abando, Bilbao's Central Station, but no through service was possible. Therefore a former connecting line between Olabeaga and Abando has been rebuilt to connect the two northern lines (Muskiz and Santurtzi lines) to the southern line to Orduña thus creating also a new multifunctional transfer station at San Mamés (Metro and TermiBus), a joint station with Feve at Ametzola and two new intermediate stations at Autonomía and Zabalburu. Around Autonomía and Ametzola the old line was covered to create new avenues. As Abando is a terminus station, passengers have to change trains here to continue.

Once this new line is in operation the current connection between Olabeaga to La Naja via Parke-Guggenheim along the river Nervión can be dismantled to finish the new development area Abandoibarra between the Guggenheim Museum and the new Euskalduna Congress and Concert Hall. Instead a tram line from San Mamés via Abandoibarra along the river to the city centre at Arriaga Theatre and further on to Atxuri (EuskoTren Station) is being built.

On 25 January 2005, a new station La Peña on line C-3 to Ollargan.

The Renfe Cercanías service is especially busy on the Santurtzi line (trains every 10 minutes) and less on the Orduña line (30 minutes interval).

The Basque Railways operate two lines in the Bilbao area. One uses the remaining stretch of the former Plentzia line between (San Ignacio -) Deustu and Casco Viejo (double track and partly in tunnels). At Casco Viejo a new station complex was built to allow transfer to Metro and to make trains run on to Lezama on a single track line. Service is every 30 minutes.

The second line starts at Atxuri and runs via a new transfer station with Metro at Bolueta out to Lemoa (15-minutes interval) where the line splits into a branch to Gernika / Bermeo and another one to Durango / Eibar (both branches served every 30 minutes).

FEVE (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha - Narrow Gauge Railways) operates and reopens some narrow gauge lines along the Spanish northern coast (for example Bilbao - Santander - Oviedo). One branch is operated as a suburban service from Bilbao to Balmaseda with a 30-minutes headway with 4 stations in the built-up metropolitan area of Bilbao (Bilbao station which is situated close to Abando, Ametzola, Basurto and Zorrotza).

Another very special means of transport in the Greater Bilbao area is the Transporter Bridge between Portugalete and Areeta (Las Arenas). It's over 100 years old and transports people and cars across the river Nervión every few minutes.

From Plaza del Funicular, near the new pedestrian bridge Zubizuri (White Bridge), this funicular takes you up the mountain of Artxanda from where you'll have a tremendous view over Bilbao and surroundings.