Transport in Andorra

Andorra is a landlocked country in Europe, whose transport infrastructure is largely road-based.

Railways

A train at Latour-de-Carol, one of the two stations serving Andorra

Andorra has no railways, and never had, although the line connecting Latour-de-Carol and Toulouse, which in turn connects to France's TGVs at Toulouse, runs within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the Andorran border. One station in France is connected by bus to Andorra la Vella — L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre (served by the SNCF). A bus service used to run to Latour-de-Carol, served by both SNCF's line to Toulouse and Spain's (RENFE's) line to Barcelona.[1][2]

A new public transport system, "Metro Aeri", was proposed by the government in 2004, but has not been built. It would have been an elevated cable metro system that would glide above the city's river.[3]

Roads

CG-2, a major road in Andorra

Andorra has a network of roads, with a total length of 269 km (167 mi), of which 198 km (123 mi) are paved, leaving 71 km (44 mi) of unpaved road. The main road to the north (France) goes through the Envalira pass, which is 2,409 metres (7,904 ft) high but nevertheless open all year round as it has a tunnel as well. The two main roads out of Andorra la Vella are the CG-1 to the Spanish border, and the CG-2 to the French border via the Envalira Tunnel near Pas de la Casa.[4] In winter, the main roads in Andorra are usually quickly cleared of snow and remain accessible, but the main road out of Andorra on the French side (RN-20 on the French side and CG-2 on the Andorran side) is less frequently cleared and is sometimes closed by avalanches.[5] Other main roads out of Andorra la Vella are the CG-3 and CG-4 to Arcalis and Pal, respectively. Secondary roads and trails also cross the border but are sometimes closed in winter because of deep snows.

Bus services cover all metropolitan areas and many rural communities, with services on most major routes running half-hourly or more frequently during peak travel times. There are frequent long-distance bus services from Andorra to Barcelona and Barcelona Airport, and also to Toulouse and Toulouse Airport, in each case taking approximately 3 hours. Bus routes also serve Girona Airport and Portugal via Lleida. Bus services are mostly run by private companies, but some local ones are operated by the government. The private bus companies are Autocars Nadal, Camino Bus, Cooperativa Interurbana Andorrana, Eurolines, Hispano Andorrana, and Novatel.[6]

Mass transit

Buses, the principal means of mass transit, provide regular service to la Seu d'Urgell and Barcelona in Spain, and to Perpignan in France. Among several cable cars, the most important operates between Encamp and Engolasters Lake.

Airways

There are no airports for fixed-wing aircraft within Andorra's borders but there are, however, heliports in La Massana (Camí Heliport), Arinsal and Escaldes-Engordany with commercial helicopter services.[7][8]

Nearby airports located in Spain and France provide access to international flights for the Principality. There is an airport located in the neighbouring Spanish comarca of Alt Urgell, 12 km south of the Andorran-Spanish border.[9] Since July 2015 Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport has operated commercial flights to Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, and is the main hub for Air Andorra and Andorra Airlines.

The nearest other airports are at Perpignan, France (156 km from Andorra) and Lleida, Spain (160 km from Andorra). The largest nearby airports are at Toulouse, France (165 km from Andorra) and Barcelona, Spain (215 km from Andorra). There are hourly bus services from both the Barcelona and Toulouse airports to Andorra.

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2000 edition".

  1. ↑ SNCF Map
  2. ↑ Google map
  3. ↑ "La construcció del metro aeri d'Andorra no començarà abans que s'acabi aquesta legislatura - Europa Press - VilaWeb". 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
  4. ↑ Agència de Mobilitat, Govern d'Andorra
  5. ↑ L'Hospitalet. La RN 20 coupée à cause d'une avalanche, La Depeche, 17 December 2008. Ladepeche.fr (French)
  6. ↑ Public transport of passengers, Servei de Planificació i Gestió del Transport, Govern d'Andorra, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Inici - Heliand - Helicopters a Andorra". Heliand. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
  8. ↑ Archived July 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "Public and regional airport of Andorra-la Seu d'Urgell".
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