MOLLERUSSA
Nombre de la estación: Mollerussa.
Fecha de inauguración: 30th Mayo de 1860.
Autor: Jaume Macià
Origen y evolución
This station on the Barcelona-Zaragoza line came into service in 1860 following the construction of the stretch of track between Manresa and Lleida on the line between Zaragoza and Barcelona which was built by the Compañía del Ferrocarril de Zaragoza a Barcelona[i].
This railway company was created in 1852 and associated with Manuel Girona i Agrafel. The company’s objective was to build and exploit a line between these two major cities and passing through Lleida; the construction of the line was completed in 1862.
In 1865, this company merged with the Ferrocarril de Zaragoza a Pamplona.[ii] The resulting new company, called the Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Zaragoza a Pamplona y a Barcelona[iii] was then also absorbed, in 1878, by the Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de España[iv].
The station currently provides medium-distance, Iberian-gauge services on the line that runs between L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Lleida (figure 1).
Another station was built next to the first one in order to serve the Mollerussa-Balaguer line. This metric gauge line was 18 km long and was served by eight stations. It also had two branch lines: a 2 km line towards Menàrguens and a 1.3 km line towards the Merlet estate. Its construction, which began in 1899, was undertaken by Manuel Bertran y Cia., an industrial company from Barcelona, but the line was not officially opened until 1905. It was originally built to transport sugar beet to the sugar factory of Menàrguens. At the time, sugar beet plantations covered large areas of the comarques (local districts) of La Noguera, L’Urgell, El Segriá, Les Garrigues and La Llitera. The line was also used to transport building materials for the construction of the Camarasa reservoir.
Figure 1: The current station
Fuente: ADIF
Características especiales
Mollerussa station is the property of ADIF and is located in the northern part of the town, which lies in the comarca (local district) of El Pla d’Urgell. The railway station serves the current R12 Barcelona-Manresa-Lleida line of the Rodalies de Catalunya regional services which are run by RENFE.
The station has a main track and also another separate stretch of track with side platforms, which are connected by a level crossing.
Medio ambiente
Figure 2: Mollerussa railway station in 1905 and today
Source: http://www.fotosdecatalunya.cat/category/lleida/mollerusa
Figure 3: The present building providing passenger services from Mollerussa, 2012
Source: http://www.trenscat.com/renfe/mollerussa_ct.html
Figure 4: The old Mollerussa to Balaguer station, 1905
Source: http://www.fotosdecatalunya.cat/category/lleida/mollerusa
[i] Zaragoza to Barcelona Railway Company
[ii] Zaragoza to Pamplona railway
[iii] Zaragoza to Pamplona and Barcelona Railway Company
[iv] Iron Road Company of the North of Spain