The first railway line on the Iberian Peninsula, which connects Barcelona and Mataró, turns 175 this Saturday, an anniversary that the capital of Maresme will celebrate throughout the day with activities for all audiences, from exhibitions to concerts and a drone show . The protocol acts have not been exempt from criticism of the Rodalies service.
The Regional Minister of Territory of the Generalitat, Ester Capella, has criticized the "chaos" of the Cercanías service and has once again demanded the "comprehensive transfer" during the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the first train of the Spanish State, the Barcelona-Mataró. "We deserve 21st century Rodalies," she insisted to the Secretary of State for Transport and Mobility, David Lucas.
For his part, Lucas has stated that he sees the criticism as "legitimate", but has asked for "cooperation" and has defended the current level of investment in the railway network in Catalonia. Also participating in the event were the president of Renfe, Raül Blanco; the president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Lluïsa Moret and the mayors of Barcelona and Mataró, Jaume Collboni and David Bote.
Although the original line has undergone changes in these 175 years, such as its duplication in 1899, electrification in 1948 and the modification of the route in Barcelona from 1989, most of the route still remains intact, as explained in a statement the Public Transport Promotion association (PTP).
The Maresme line is the corridor with the most users in the Rodalies network and transports around 117,000 people every day, with average passage intervals of 15 minutes each day, which can reach six minutes during rush hour. Furthermore, the Mataró station is the one with the highest influx of travelers outside the center of Barcelona, with 18,082 people daily. The journey between Mataró and Barcelona is now covered in 36 minutes compared to the 60 minutes it took to arrive when the service began in 1848.
Among the activities planned this Saturday to celebrate the anniversary, there is an audiovisual show with drones that will take place tonight in the area of Paseo Martím and the port and that will serve to review the history of the train.
The celebration has already started this morning with the departure from Barcelona towards Mataró of a special train vinyled with the image of the celebration, in which authorities travel, and with an exhibition of photographs inside. At the Mataró station, you can also see the Mataró locomotive, the one used during the first journey on October 28, 1848.
After a floral offering at the Miquel Biada monument, the commemoration activities will take place: an exhibition at the Mataró City Hall about the town's railway past and two exhibitions at the Mataró Museum related to the railway, as well as family activities such as stories, face painting and games and a recital by the Maresme Musical Group, among others.
