The Tramvia Blau is temporarily closed for modernization works on its infrastructure.
The equivalent journey can be made via Avinguda Tibidabo as far as Plaça Doctor Andreu using bus route 196, which operates daily between 07:30 and 22:00.
The three routes offered by the Barcelona Bus Turístic are also available for you to enjoy the most iconic landmarks of the city.
And if you want to appreciate the best views over the city, you can also enjoy them from the Montjuïc Cable Car.
Factsheet
- Entered into service: 1903/4
- Mean weight of the vehicle when empty: 9,650 kg.
- Capacity per unit: 48 passengers
- Maximum speed on the ascent: 13.5 km per hour.
- Maximum speed on the descent: 9.5 km per hour.
- Power: 2x45 hp.
- Voltage: 550 V
- No. of controls: 1 with 11 positions (7 drive and 4 braking controls)
- No. of sub-controls: 2 with 2 positions (1 forward and 1 rear brake)
- No. of brakes: 2. 1 in the fairing and 1 electric brake. (There is a third brake which is automatic)
- Automatic: 1 adjustable from 0 to 250 Amps.
Summary
In June 1900, on the initiative of Dr. Salvador Andreu, urban development work began on the mountain of Tibidabo. The project included a 1,276 meter-long track for a tram that started at Avinguda del Tibidabo and finished in the square at the lower end of the funicular. The first trams were built at the Can Girona (MACOSA) workshops and their original color was green.
In 1905 the line was extended as far as Vallvidrera and a new series of six higher quality trams were purchased numbered from 5 to 10, to which new electromagnetic brakes were fitted.
In 1915 three new trams were purchased numbered 21, 22 and 23, but after the Civil War the line to Vallvidrera was taken out of service, leaving only vehicles 5 to 10 which were renovated in 1958, reaching speeds of 13 km per hour on the ascent and 9.5 km per hour on the descent, the speed maintained up to the present day.
In 1970, the line was about to be closed due to the supression of the tram network of the city, but the reaction from the general public, who held a celebration in 1976 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the line, led the owners, the Societat Anònima Tibidabo to decide not to close it and to transfer its control to the municipality along with its premises, land and employees, thereby guaranteeing its continuity. Shortly afterwards, in 1981, the Tramvia Blau became managed by Transports de Barcelona.
In 1984 the electricity network and tram depot were renovated and buffers were installed at the lower end. The trams were painted their current color of cobalt blue.
The roadworks to create the Ronda de Dalt in 1990 meant that the tram was out of service for a while, during which time the tracks were remodeled. In 1999, maintenance work by Ferrocarril Metropolità de Barcelona came to an end as employees retired. Since then, the staff have been replaced and new projects and technologies have been introduced to benefit both the vehicles and service.
The Tramvia Blau has featured in several productions such as the series "La Plaça del Diamant" (Diamond Square), "Temps de Silenci" (Times of Silence) and the film "The Shanghai Spell".
