Bilbao Metro

The Bilbao Metro (Spanish: Metro de Bilbao, Basque: Bilboko metroa) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Lines 1 and 2 have a "Y" shape, as they transit both banks of the river Ibaizabal and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao. Line 3 connects the higher neighbourhoods to the east of Bilbao. All three current lines meet at Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo station. The Metro is connected with the Bilbao tram, Bilboko Aldiriak (commuter rail services), Euskotren Trena (commuter rail services), Feve (commuter rail services, regional and long-distance trains), Renfe long-distance trains, and Bilbao's bus station (Bilbao Intermodal). All three lines use metre gauge. As of 2021, the Metro operates on 51 kilometers (32 mi) of route, with 48 stations. It is the third-busiest metro in Spain, after the Madrid and Barcelona metro systems. The system was inaugurated in 1995, partially taking over a suburban railway line operated by Euskotren, first opened in 1887. A second line was added in 2002, running together with Line 1 within Bilbao, and then serving towns along the left bank of the Ibaizabal-Nervion estuary. Lines 1 and 2 are operated by Metro Bilbao, a company owned by the Biscay Transport Consortium. Line 3, operated by Euskotren, opened in 2017. Unlike the first two lines, which form an isolated system, Line 3 is operated jointly with the Euskotren Trena commuter railway network.