Goodbye to the level crossing

Salou. Costa Dorada. 13 January 2020. The launch of the new R17 railway line since January 13, 2020, which connects Salou and the municipalities of the Costa Dorada with Barcelona, ​​has always meant goodbye to the historic level crossing located in the center of Salou.

This step, located a few meters from Salou station, on Carles Roig street, was a constant coming and going of vehicles and pedestrians towards the beach. The discomforts involved when the barriers were closed waiting for the train to pass increased markedly in summer, as long lines of vehicles formed and passengers piled up waiting for their turn to cross the tracks.

Now, after the construction of the new roads outside the urban center, the Salou station has been canceled and has stopped working, since the service will be given from the PortAventura station that will connect with the municipality by shuttle buses.

The next step will be for ADIF to dismantle the roads and the level crossing that have worked in Salou since 1865, when the Tarragona-Tortosa / Ulldecona line that ran along the coast through Salou entered into service. The urban, demographic and tourist growth of the capital of the Costa Dorada made it increasingly difficult to live with the train through the center of Salou and dividing the municipality in two.

The problems and the political pressure were exacerbated from the entry into operation of the Euromed in 1997, trains that connected Barcelona with Valencia passing at high speed through the urban center of Salou and its neighboring municipalities (Cambrils, Mont-roig and Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant). Finally, the construction of the new roads that take the train from Salou and the other municipalities have started after 20 years of projects and works.

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