Areeta (Bilbao metro)

Areeta
Station entrance
General information
Location11-13 Ibaigane St.
48930 Getxo[1]
Spain
Coordinates43°19′34″N 3°00′35″W / 43.32611°N 3.00972°W / 43.32611; -3.00972
Owned by
Line(s) Line 1
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels1
ParkingNo
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone  Zone 2  
History
Opened1 July 1887
Rebuilt11 November 1995
Passengers
20212,481,381[2]
Services
Preceding station Metro Bilbao Following station
Gobela
towards Plentzia
 Line 1 Lamiako
towards Etxebarri

Areeta is an underground station on line 1 of the Bilbao metro. It is located in the neighborhood of Areeta, in the municipality of Getxo. The station opened as part of the metro on 11 November 1995, replacing an older overground station.

History

The station, then known as Las Arenas, first opened to the public in 1887 as the western terminus of the Bilbao-Las Arenas railway. It was an at-grade station, covered by a large train shed. The station was originally built as a cul-de-sac, but after the extension of the line to Plentzia in 1893, it was renovated as trains continued along the coast past the station. The station had two side platforms and was one of the most important train stations of the entire railway.[3]

Starting in 1947, the narrow-gauge railway companies that operated within the Bilbao metropolitan area were merged to become Ferrocarriles y Transportes Suburbanos, shortened FTS and the first precedent of today's Bilbao metro. In 1977, the FTS network was transferred to the public company FEVE and in 1982 to the recently created Basque Railways.[4] In the 1980s it was decided the station, just like most of the former railway line, would be integrated into line 1 of the metro, with the new station opening underground now as part of the metro network on 11 November 1995.[5]

The new underground station was designed by English architect Norman Foster. Concurrently, it was renamed Areeta, following the Basque language orthographic rules and in replacement of the former Las Arenas name, which was in Spanish.[citation needed]

Station layout

It is an underground station with a single island platform.

Access

  • 1, Langileria street
  • 1, Gabriel Aresti street
  • Station's interior

Services

The station is served by line 1 from Etxebarri to Plentzia. The station is also served by regional Bizkaibus bus services.

Future

In 2022, it was announced that a tunnel will connect both banks of the Ibaizabal-Nervión estuary in 2028, incorporating a shuttle train that will connect the Areeta and Sestao (Line 2) stations in four minutes.[6] Work on the tunnel is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2024, with a planned investment of 450 million euros.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Estaciones - Areeta". Metro Bilbao (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Metro en cifras". Metro Bilbao (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  3. ^ Peris Torner, Juan (21 March 2012). "Ferrocarril de Bilbao a Las Arenas y Plencia (Suburbanos de Bilbao)". Spanish Railway (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  4. ^ Peris Torner, Juan (9 May 2012). "Ferrocarriles y Transportes Suburbanos de Bilbao S.A. (FTSB)". Spanish Railway (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  5. ^ Guerrero, Belén (December 2011). "Metro Bilbao, una red en expansión" (PDF). Vía Libre (in Spanish). pp. 4–15. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  6. ^ "La lanzadera de metro que unirá Getxo y Sestao funcionará cada 4 minutos y no tendrá maquinista". El Correo (in Spanish). 29 September 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Europa prestará hasta 200 millones de euros para construir el gran túnel bajo la Ría". Naiz (in Spanish). 16 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.