Ferrocarril de Sarrià The current location of
Plaça de Catalunya was the place chosen to build in 1863 the
Ferrocarril de Sarrià terminus station. At that time, the current square didn't exist and the city rampart had recently been destroyed.
Ferrocarril de Sarrià a Barcelona, popularly known as the
Tren de Sarrià, built a line from this station to the Gràcia, Sant Gervasi and Sarrià neighbourhoods, which at the same were separate municipalities. Between 1924 and 1929 a temporary terminus station on Carrer de Balmes was built, between Ronda Universitat and Gran Via, while the underground station was being constructed. In 1929 the new underground
Ferrocarril de Sarrià terminus station was opened, located under Carrer de Pelai and Carrer de Bergara. Originally, the station had two tracks arranged in one underground hall with platforms 1 and 2. In 1959 a second hall was opened, with platforms 3 and 4, and some years later, a third hall with platforms 5 and 6.
The arriving of the Iberian gauge In 1854, the Vilafranca line placed its terminus station near Canaletes and Portal de Isabel II, on the south part of Plaça de Catalunya. This line was built in Iberian broad gauge and connected
Vilafranca del Penedès and other municipalities in
Tarragona province with Barcelona city. Finally, this line placed its terminus station at
Sants railway station. On 1 July 1932 a new underground station serving the Iberian gauge rail was opened as a terminus station on Manresa and Puigcerdà lines. These lines had its terminus station at
Estació del Nord and were managed by
Ferrocarril del Norte, one of the
Renfe's predecessors. In 1977 with the opening of the rail link between this station and Sants, the station ceased to be a terminus station and Manresa and Puigcerdà lines placed its terminus station in Sants. The facilities were completely rejuvenated in 1983 as the station had heavily deteriorated.
Gran Metropolitano de Barcelona Barcelona Metro line 3 station was opened on 30 December 1924 with the opening of the line between this station and
Lesseps. This part of the line was the first metropolitan railway and the starting of
Barcelona Metro network, which was managed by
Gran Metro and was called
Gran Metropolitano de Barcelona. Initially, the station was not linked to the
Transversal station when this one was opened. After the municipalization of the company during the 1960s, the platforms were extended to hold a fifth car and a corridor to link both metro lines was built. During the 1980s the former corridor that linked the station with Rodalies was closed, but today is still preserved although it is not used. In 2007 the access from Rivadeneyra street was closed because a transformer was installed in to provide more electrical power to the line. Some years before, one of the accesses located on the south part of the square was closed due to vandalism.
Ferrocarril Metropolitano Transversal Barcelona Metro line 1 station is one of the first metro stations in the city of Barcelona and it was part of
Ferrocarril Metropolitano Transversal. Although this station was opened on 14 June 1926 its current location was opened in 1933. At first it was a terminus metro station and it was located under
Ronda de la Universitat, between Rambla de Catalunya and Balmes street, and it had two tracks and three platforms. With the RENFE station reforms in 1983, Barcelona Metro line 1 station was reformed too. ==Station layout==