While staying in Alicante, I took a day
trip to Murcia, only an hour and a half on an old diesel train they
painted in Cercanías colours... (there are also several
long-distance and regional services linking the two cities).
Murcia started some years ago with a
short trial line, which was then extended into a full-length tram
line that links the northern districts to the city centre. The line
has the feel of a typical new French tram system, including the
Alstom Citadis trams purchased from the excessive Madrid fleet and
now repainted in a light but strong green. Also the stops feature the
same colour which makes them very visible on the streets. The tram
runs every 10 minutes, which is high-frequency when compared to
Alicante. The mostly single-track branch to UCAM-Jerónimos is served
only every 20 minutes (it is partly prepared for a second track in
case the area around the immediate stops gets developed, the road
layout for which can already be distinguished). As I was there during
holiday season, and the northern end of the western leg loops around
the University campus, deserted during my visit, I cannot tell how
busy the line gets with students on normal lecture days. The rest was
fairly busy, especially on the eastern leg, as close to the
northeastern terminus Estadio Nueva Condomina there is probably one
of Southern Spain's largest shopping malls.
The problem with Murcia's tram line is
that it doesn't really penetrate into the city centre, but its most
central stop, Plaza Circular, is at the northern fringes of the
central area and almost a 30-minute walk from the railway station
which lies on the southern side.
Like in Alicante, there is no
railfan-friendly ticket, instead individual tickets have to be
purchased each time before boarding, either a 1,05 EUR zone 1 ticket
for the stops closer to the centre, or 1.40 EUR for both zones. For
trips only in the outer zone, also 1.40 EUR are payable! 14 trips are
available at 10 EUR for more intensive exploration. It seems that
there are no combined tickets for tram and buses!
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