Line R2 North

Origin – destination

The R2 of Rodalies de Barcelona runs north-south with a total length of 130.7 kilometres and covers a total of seven regions on its route.

This line links Sant Vicenç de Calders with Maçanet-Massanes and offers three different services:

• The R2 South which goes from Sant Vicenç de Calders to Barcelona (Estació de França) is known as the Garraf Line.
• The R2 North which goes from the Prat Airport to Maçanet-Massanes via Granollers
• - The R2 which runs between Castelldefels and Granollers Centre.

Main stations

• Sant Vicenç de Calders
• Vilanova i la Geltrú
• Sitges
• Castelldefels
• Barcelona-Sants
• Barcelona-Passeig de Gràcia
• Barcelona-Estació de França
• Granollers Centre
• Sant Celoni
• Maçanet-Massanes

Commercial routes and frequencies (weekdays)

The R2 has the following commercial routes and frequencies that vary according to whether they run at peak hour, (times at which there are more passengers coinciding with the timetable of the working day), or off-peak hours, in which the number of passengers decreases:

Castelldefels - Granollers Centre: One train every 10 minutes at peak hour and every 30 minutes at off-peak hours

Sant Vicenç de Calders - Estació de França: One train every 15 minutes at peak hour and every 30 minutes at off-peak hours

Vilanova i la Geltrú - Estació de França: One train every 15 minutes at peak hour and every 30 minutes at off-peak hours

Aeroport - Sant Celoni/Maçanet Massanes: One train every 30 minutes

Number of passengers

The R2 is one of the most popular lines within the Barcelona suburban railway: on a weekday 133.619* passengers use the line, for this reason, double-decker trains are used.

The station of Vilanova i la Geltrú on this line is the most transited. In a single day, 16.340* passengers can use this station.

Trains

Currently on the R2 a total of 261 trains of the 477 series, of the 450-451 series and of the Civia type (series 463-464-465) run on each weekday.

R2 in figures

Length: 130.7 km
Number of stations: 34
Lines with which it connects:

Passengers/day: 133.619 passengers*
Number of trains running: 261 trains/weekday

*Official data from Estudio de Aforos Nov. 2018

There are three very different stages in the history of the present R2 line: north section, south section and the airport branch.

The origins of the north section of this line go back to 1854, with the inauguration of the first section from Barcelona to Granollers. Later, the line was extended to Maçanet in 1860 and arrived in Girona in 1862. The need to connect with the European railway network prompted the construction of a new extension to Figueres (1877) and to Portbou (1878) where since then (and until high speed the launch of the new line) connections have been made with the French railway network. Over time, the line has been modernized with such important works as its electrification starting in the nineteen fifties and the new urban railway line in Gerona.

The origins of the southern section go back to 1881 with the launch of the line from Barcelona to Vilanova, which originally started at the Barcelona port and which provided service to the population after crossing, through several tunnels, the hills of El Garraf. Later, the line was extended to Calafell (1882) and Valls (1883) and linked with the lines of Tarragona and Lleida. Throughout the 20th century the line has been modernized with the construction of the double track and especially with its electrification after the nineteen fifties.

The airport branch was inaugurated in 1975 as a new shuttle service that directly connected the centre of Barcelona (Sants Station) with the airport, although later new stops in Bellvitge and El Prat de Llobregat were added. Today, the service of this branch is integrated within the services of the R2 Nord, and many trains coming from Sant Celoni and Maçanet, after crossing the city of Barcelona, when they arrive at the El Prat de Llobregat station, move off on to a short branch of one way track that goes to T2 of the airport. A project for a new branch is underway, with a new tunnel under the runways that will provide service to the two airport terminals.

Text written in collaboration with Carles Salmerón i Bosch.

Thanks to the R2, in Sitges schools can enjoy the Cinetren. And if you still want to learn more about the train and its history, its past and its future, in front of the Vilanova i la Geltrú station you can visit the Railway Museum which is one of Europe’s most important train museums. You can travel to the Museum using the Combined Ticket.