The start of the Tren dels Llacs Panoràmic season comes at an ideal time, as the reservoirs in the Ebro basin are currently at around 90% of their capacity. The spectacular route is guaranteed.
The Panoramic Train will run 4 times: July 20 and 27 and August 3 and 10. The Historic Train will resume service every Saturday from August 17 to October 26.
This season, as a novelty, the adaptation of the Cellers – Llimiana to Salàs de Pallars section of the Lakes cycling route, which runs parallel and complementary to the FGC Lleida – La Pobla de For sure. The aim is to promote cycle tourism in the area safely.
On Saturday 20 July the Tren dels Llacs Panoràmic starts a new summer season. This tourist transport managed by FGC operates during the central weeks of summer and travels via the historic Lleida – La Pobla de Segur railway line. Along the route, it offers a photogenic route where you can comfortably get to know a unique landscape with large expanses of water. Travelers enjoy panoramic views of the Monroig and Montsec mountain ranges thanks to its large windows. Views that, in addition, will shine even more this season, since according to the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, as of July 4, the reservoirs of Sant Llorenç, Camarasa, Terradets and Sant Antoni are around 90% of its capacity.
The route
The Tren dels Llacs runs between mountains, bridges, tunnels and through deep gorges. A historic and panoramic route through the heart of Catalonia from La Plana to the Pre-Pyrenees of Lleida, where travelers are struck by the changing nature along the way. A spectacle that can be observed without getting off the wagon. There are two options to take this unique tour: with the Historical Train or with the Panoramic Train, which stands out for its large windows.
The trip runs along the banks of the Segre and Noguera Pallaresa rivers, from Lleida to La Pobla de Segur. It crosses the regions of Segrià, La Noguera, the Montsec mountain area until you reach the heart of Pallars Jussà. Once it leaves behind the Segre river, it becomes part of the Noguera Pallaresa river basin which allows users to observe the reservoirs and Montsec, ending the route in La Pobla de Segur. The Lakes Train crosses 4 lakes, 40 tunnels and 75 bridges along its 89 kilometer journey.
The Trens Panoràmics, GTW units of the 331 series, offer great comfort and total accessibility as well as spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility and bicycles, and sockets available to customers. In addition, the traveler is regularly informed of the stops and other information with public address systems and intercoms. They have 90 seats distributed in two air-conditioned cars. The experience is rounded off thanks to a guide service that explains the history of the territory and the different points through which the train travels. During the 2024 season, the Panoramic Train will run 4 times: July 20 and 27 and August 3 and 10.
The cycling route
As a novelty, this season the Department of Territory has completed the adaptation of the section Cellers – Llimiana to Salàs de Pallars which, added to the pre-existing section from La Pobla de Segur to Salàs and the future from Sant Llorenç de Montgai to Lleida will form the Route Cycle tourist of the Lakes.
The route runs through the counties of Segrià, La Noguera and Pallars Jussà, parallel and complementary to the FGC Lleida – La Pobla de Segur line, in an environment of high landscape value. The main objective of this greenway is to promote the safe use of bicycles as a tourist, sports and leisure element. At the same time, intermodality is encouraged, as it allows you to combine the use of the bicycle with the train to complete the route.
The Department of Territory is developing a Catalan network of long-distance cycling routes, one of the lines of action of the Catalan Bicycle Strategy 2025.
Suggestions to round off the experience
In La Pobla de Segur, the arrival point of this tourist transport, there are several options such as, for example, visiting the Espai Raier, the Oil Mill and Casa Mauri, the Portet Liquor Factory or wander through the charming streets of the town before taking the train back. Another mandatory stop on the route is the municipality of Salàs, where its picturesque shops, the Salàs de Pallars Museum or the Torre de Barta stand out.
In the territory it is also recommended to discover the Hydroelectric Museum and the Capdella power station or the Salt Museum in Gerri de la Sal, where you can still see what the extraction system used to be like.
Tickets for the Tren dels Llacs can be purchased in advance through the online store that interested users will find on the turistren.cat web portal, the website that brings together all the tourist transport offers of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
