The initial works of the TramCamp have already arrived in Salou, six months after its start in Cambrils, with the first earth movements on the grounds of the old train track. The machines are already working next to the old level crossing on Barcelona street, at a key point of the route through which the future tram must circulate by the end of 2029.
The action promoted by the Department of Territory is now focused on the preparation of the esplanade where the tracks, catenaries, and the 14 stops planned for the first phase between Cambrils, Salou, and Vila seca will be installed. In parallel, some pipelines that cross the route of the future tram have begun to be buried.
Dismantling of the last remains of the old line
The works in Salou have also involved the dismantling of part of the last vestiges of the historic coastal railway line, in service between 1865 and 2020. What remained of the platforms next to Aragón and Carles Roig streets is being demolished, in addition to the fence that prevented access to the tracks.
These tasks are added to the previous removal of tracks and other elements of the old railway corridor and to the dismantling of the old station, executed in July 2024.
The intervention keeps open the perpendicular passages for pedestrians and vehicles, although it already has visible effects on the urban environment. On Carles Roig street, a parking lane has been eliminated and also the sidewalk on the sea side, which has been narrowed with concrete fences.
Specific impacts and coordination with the City Council
From Territory they maintain that the current works will only entail punctual traffic cuts and that any action with an impact on mobility will be coordinated with the municipal technical services. The immediate forecast involves continuing to prepare the ground before the start of the bulk of the civil work.
In this environment of the old track, two of the five planned tram stops in Salou will be located, one at the height of Barenys and another on Barcelona street. Both are still pending a specific project, as they were displaced a few meters with respect to the initial planning.
"This is an intervention of a local nature, which will be integrated into the general calendar of works" - Territory, Generalitat
The project of the Salou and Barenys stops is in technical supervision phase and the department's forecast is to approve it and tender it this same year.
The main lot will start in summer
Last month, Infraestructures de la Generalitat awarded the main batch of works for the first phase of TramCamp. The contract amounts to 135.8 million euros and includes the construction of the double-track platform, the catenaries, eleven stops, and five electrical substations to power the convoys.
The works of that main lot will begin this summer and will have a duration of two years. The general calendar maintains as horizon the entry into service of the tram by the end of 2029.
The old railway corridor will become the Eix Cívic
In parallel with the deployment of TramCamp, the Salou City Council plans to transform the space of the old train line into a new urban avenue, the so-called Eix Cívic. The project includes nearly 2 kilometers of pedestrian promenade, space for bike lanes, green areas, and plots designated for protected housing and public facilities.
The council has already approved the urbanization project. The planned investment is around 15 million euros and will be fully assumed by the Generalitat. The municipal forecast is to obtain final approval after the summer, put the works out to tender this year, and start them at the beginning of 2027.
The intention is that the Eix Cívic be finished before the arrival of the tram, so that the urban transformation and the new infrastructure advance in a synchronized manner over the old railway line.
Conservation of railway heritage
The remodeling of the corridor will not entail the complete disappearance of Salou's railway memory. The City Council wants to preserve some vestiges of the old line and convert the old Carrilet goods shed, next to the historic station, into a museum space dedicated to the history of the railway in the municipality.
Salou still maintains the old Carrilet station, a section of the original track, the turntable, a wagon, and a locomotive. The municipal objective is to restore the wagon and the locomotive to exhibit them again, within a heritage complex that the Generalitat has cataloged as a Cultural Asset of National Interest.