Discovering Cartagena

More Articles By Phillip Bruce www.raxomnium.com

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Narrow Gauge Railway Runs To The Beach 

Cartagena has a great narrow gauge railway that runs from the centre of the city out to the beaches of the Mar Menor. 

The railway was originally developed by British interests to link the port with the mining town of La Union in the 19^th century.  Later on the line was extended and today it runs to Los Nietos, a short walk away from the beach. 

The trains are modern units and they provide a regular service at intervals of 20-minutes.  A good trip is to get off the train at La Union, have a look at the beautiful old public market, an extravaganza of ironwork, have a drink in a café, and then get back on the train for the rest of the journey out to Los Nietos. There is nothing near the station at Los Nietos but you will see the sea. 

Alternatively, if you want to visit Cartagena without the hassle of driving in the city and finding a car park, go to Los Nietos and get on the train there for the pleasant journey into town. 

As the train runs through the mining country, there are old mine shafts, pithead machinery and piles of mining waste tumbling down hillsides.  Plans are under way to open up the area around La Union for industrial heritage tourism. 

The railway is operated by FEVE ( Ferrocarriles De Via Estrecha) which is the government narrow-gauge railway body.  There are no other similar lines near Cartagena but lots of narrow-gauge railways run across northern Spain.  Go into the café at the Cartagena FEVE station and you will see a map showing these lines on the wall. 

The station is across the roundabout from the main Tourism Office.  It is rather concealed in a nondescript multi-storey building and nowhere near as grand as the main railway station five minutes walk away down the tree-lined Avenue De America.  Look for the yellow FEVE sign. 

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