La Pobla de Segur, Lleida.
Lleida hides one of the most spectacular railway lines in the entire peninsula. It has been operated since 2005 by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya and connects the city of Lleida -the capital of the province- with La Pobla de Segur , the gateway to the Lleida Pyrenees. This route can be done throughout the year but, for the tenth consecutive year, from the end of April to the beginning of November we can do it in classic railway material.
The two locomotives used for this historic tour are 10817 and 10820. , both produced in 1968 and popularly baptized with the name of ye-yes . As for the towed material, that is, the wagons, we find ourselves with four cars from the 6000 series, another with a vintage cafeteria and at the end the postal van.
A route along the tracks to get to know the nature of Lleida
Currently, the distance to travel on this line is 89.35 km of track Iberian gauge without electrification. It was inaugurated on February 3, 1924 , when only the stretch to Balaguer was covered. It was not until 1951 that the complete route to La Pobla de Segur could be completed. . In those years, the idea of extending the line to Sort and later to Saint Girons (France) was abandoned, with which this line would have become, together with those of Hendaye, Canfranc and Portbou, a border crossing.
The route is the most varied. It starts in the plain of Lleida, crosses the Montsec mountain range and leaves us in the Pre-Pyrenees, in Pallars Jussà. . To reach your destination, we must be on time at 10:40 on the Lleida station platform. The train won't wait. After the welcome, the train will begin its journey through more than 17 stations.
The first and most important Balaguer , where it will also be possible to get on board. From here, the track starts to get more interesting. We'll go through nothing more and nothing less than 41 tunnels. We will cross 31 bridges because, as its name indicates -train of the lakes- the stage is starred by lakes and swamps . Specifically, we will visit four large reservoirs: San Llorenç de Montgai, Camarasa, Terradets and Sant Antoni.
Camarasa Reservoir, Lleida.
Completing the complete route will take us almost two hours of idyllic landscapes until we finally reach The town of Segur . Once we arrive at our destination, we will have four hours to visit its modernist buildings; As the Sant Josep oil mill or Casa Mauri , where the Town Hall is currently located. Also, since we won't be driving, we can take the opportunity to do two things.
On the one hand, accompany the meal with a good wine from Costers del Segre , the denomination of origin of the area. And on the other hand, visit the Portet liquor factory , where we can see the process of elaboration of the Ratafía as well as make a small tasting. At five in the afternoon, the train will leave for Lleida, although we can choose not to return yet and do it the next day on the conventional train. All included in the €32 ticket.
Once we arrive in Lleida it will depend on whether we are going to stay more days or not, but if so, we cannot stop visiting the Seu Vella , the top of the city. If we dare to climb the 238 steps that lead us to the top of the bell tower we will get the best view of the city and all the surrounding plain. We also recommend stretching your legs a little on the Mitjana municipal park.
who want to do a "round rail" journey You should know that Lleida can be reached by AVE, on the line that connects Barcelona and Madrid. The points of sale to buy the tickets are indicated on the website of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya. To finish, we warn you that during the month of July (20, 27) and August (3, 10) there are four Saturdays that the route is not made with the classic train but with a modern panoramic one with a somewhat cheaper price, €24.
Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Seu Vella, Lleida.