Amara station

Amara
Station building
General information
LocationSan Sebastián, Gipuzkoa
Spain
Coordinates43°18′47.21″N 1°58′53.86″W / 43.3131139°N 1.9816278°W / 43.3131139; -1.9816278
Owned byEuskal Trenbide Sarea
Operated byEuskotren
Line(s)
Platforms4 island platforms
Tracks6 (equipped with platforms)
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingNo
AccessibleYes[1]
History
Opened9 April 1895
Rebuilt27 June 1990
Passengers
20153,700,000[2]

Amara is a railway station in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain. It is owned by Euskal Trenbide Sarea and operated by Euskotren. It is the eastern terminus of the Bilbao-San Sebastián line and is also served by the suburban Topo service.

History

The station opened in 1895 as the eastern terminus of the San Sebastián-Elgoibar railway (which at the time only reached Zarautz).[3] In 1912, the San Sebastián-Hendaye line opened, connecting with the existing narrow-gauge railway at Amara.[4]

Originally, the station wasn't the terminus for the San Sebastián-Hendaye railway. Instead, it reached the city center by running on the streets. Since 1942, the railway and the city council had been in disagreement over the street-running service, and the city loop closed in 1954.[5]

The original station was located to the north of the current one. It was a provisional building built in 1900, and starting in 1912 the substitution of the station was being considered.[6] Various projects were presented, but ultimately they weren't carried out.[7] By the 1970s it was visibly obsolete, and plans for the relocation of the station started to gain traction.[8]

In 1982, the city council and Basque Railways reached an agreement for the rebuilding of the station.[7] The demolition of the old station started on 28 April 1983, with a ceremony presided by Jesús María Alkain [es], mayor of San Sebastián at the time.[6] Works on the current station building started in 1988,[7] and by mid-1989 it was nearing completion.[9] It was officially inaugurated on 27 June 1990.[7]

As part of the new underground loop through the city center, the station will close and be replaced by a new underground station.[10] The tracks will be dismantled and apartment buildings will be built in the former station area.[11]

Services

The station is served by Euskotren Trena lines E1, E2 and E5. Line E1 runs every 30 minutes (in each direction) during weekdays, and every hour during weekends.[12]

Lines E2 and E5 form the suburban Topo service. Line E2 runs every 15 minutes to and from Lasarte-Oria during weekdays, and every 30 minutes during weekends. In the Hendaye direction, line E2 runs every 15 minutes during weekdays and weekend afternoons, and every 30 minutes on weekend mornings. Line E5 serves the Altza branch, running every 15 minutes on weekdays and weekend afternoons, and every 30 minutes on weekend mornings. This gives a combined headway between Amara and Herrera of 7.5 minutes during most of the week.[13]

Preceding station Euskotren Trena Following station
Lugaritz
towards Matiko
 Line E1 Terminus
Lugaritz
towards Lasarte-Oria
 Line E2 Anoeta
towards Hendaia
Terminus Line E5 Anoeta
towards Altza

References

  1. ^ "Accessibility Statement". Euskotren. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  2. ^ Velasco, Juanma (27 March 2016). "Euskotren ultima una revolución de horarios en Gipuzkoa ante el incremento de viajeros". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. ^ Sada, Javier (26 April 2009). "La estación de Amara". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  4. ^ Olaizola, Juanjo (5 December 2012). "El "Topo" cumple un siglo". Historias del tren (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  5. ^ Ruiz, Txema (2 February 2010). "Combinación del Topo". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b Sada, Javier (3 May 2021). "Adiós a la estación de Amara". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Muñoz Echebeguren, Fermín (2004). Tellechea Idígoras, J. Ignacio (ed.). "El ferrocarril en San Sebastián 1851-1925". Boletín de estudios históricos sobre San Sebastián (in Spanish) (38). Donostia-San Sebastián: Fundación social y cultural Kutxa: 329–336. ISSN 0210-2889. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  8. ^ Sada, Javier (1 October 2008). "1978. No a la estación en el barrio de Morlans". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  9. ^ "La nueva estación de Amara" (PDF). Tren Correo (in Spanish). No. 14. Asociación de Amigos del Ferrocarril de Gipuzkoa. May–August 1989. p. 15. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  10. ^ Alonso, Carolina (11 September 2021). "Finaliza la conexión entre Lugaritz y el nuevo trazado del Topo". Noticias de Gipuzkoa (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  11. ^ Soriazu, Dani (23 February 2022). "El Topo deja paso a un nuevo centro de San Sebastián con 500 viviendas más". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  12. ^ "E1 Matiko-Bilbao - Amara-Donostia" (PDF). Euskotren (in Spanish and Basque). Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  13. ^ "E2 Hendaia - Lasarte-Oria" (PDF). Euskotren (in Spanish and Basque). Retrieved 23 June 2022.