Palma Transport
Majorca Details
Sea
The Port of Palma de Mallorca is the largest and most important port of the
Balearic Islands. It now covers an extensive part of the coastline between the
Moll Vell (Muelle Viejo) opposite the cathedral, and the west dike (next to the
quarter of Porto Pi). It is used for goods transport, by fishing boats, by
pleasure boats, for passenger transport and by military vessels. There are two
maritime stations operational in the Muelle de Peraires, from where cruise
ships and regular line ships with the destinations of Barcelona, Valencia,
Ibiza, Mahon or Denia, are operated. Due to the increasing number of cruise
ships landing at Palma, a third station has been opened in the west dike and at
the moment the works to build two new stations,on top of the old ones, are
starting.
Road
The major
roads of Mallorca converge in Palma. In the last years the access to the city
by road , which traditionally collapsed during peak hours, has improved. In
1990 a belt was created, diverting the traffic from the centre of the town.
There are now plans for the creation of a second belt surrounding the city of
Palma.
The regular bus lines to all the villages of the island (SRC. ..) are operated
by private companies through public adjudications via the TIB (Transpores de
las Islas Baleares). Coaches who give this service are distinguished by their
red and yellow colours. All operate from the bus station near the plaza de
Espana ,where a new intermodal station (bus, train and metro) was inaugurated
in 2007.
Rail
Palma disposes over two railway stations operated by two different companies,
both located next to Plaza España.
The railway station of Inca is managed by the public company SFM (Serveis
Ferroviaris de Mallorca). From this station, the railways lines Palma-Inca-Sa
Pobla and Palma-Inca-Manacor are operated. Its stations are located in the
intermodal station of the Plaza de España , in addition to the two other
railway lines, the regular bus service and metro.
The railway station of Soller is managed by the private company Ferrocarril de
Soller SA. It is used by the trains of the line Palma- Bunola.-Soler. This line
is used by conventional trains, dating from the beginning of the 20th century, they are more than 100 years old. These trains are very
popular with tourists.
Buses
The 31 intercity bus lines are operated by a company, owned by the
municipality, EMT (Empresa Municipal de Transportes).
The current fleet disposes over 150 vehicles, all of the make Mercedes-Benz, of
which 12 of them have a 125 KW diesel engine which feeds an electric generator.
This hybrid diesel-electric engine lowers fuel consumption and reduces
the noise in the city center. The buses are identified by their blue and gray
colours, they connect the town centre with other quarters and the periphery.
The bus stops, are called “marquesinas” because of their striking design; they have a modular roof, which design is based on tree leaves, in order to create a fresh and bright space, and not to forget, to offer protection from rain and wind.
Air
The city
disposes over a civilian- military airport located 8 miles east of the town
centre: the Airport of Palma de Mallorca. It is the third airport in Spain in
terms of passenger numbers, just behind the Airport of Madrid-Barajas and the
Airport of Barcelona, with very dense traffic in the summer, unlike the other
two which have a more uniform traffic density throughout the year. This airport
has daily connections with the major cities of the Peninsula (Madrid, Barcelona,
etc.), with the other islands (Airport of Menorca and Ibiza Airport) and the
main cities in the United Kingdom and Germany.
The old airport in Palma, the aerodrome of Son Bonet, remains operational for
general aviation flights. It is located in the municipality of Marratxi.
Metro
On the 25th of April 2007, the first line of the
metro Palma (L1) which connects the Plaza de España with the campus of the
University of the Balearic Islands, became operational. It passes through the
quarter of Son Oliva, the Poligono de Son Castello and the metropolitan centre
of Son Sardina.
Tram
There is a study going on for the implantation of a tram, which would connect the centre of Palma with El Arenal and with a branching towards the airport of Son Sant Juan, which would pass through the beach of Palma.
Administrative division
Due to the implementation of the "Ley de grandes ciudades”, from March
2005 the city of Palma is divided into five districts. These districts are
under the authority of a responsible councilman, popularly known as the mayor
of the quarter. In each district a district office has been established where
the citizens can arrange every issue with the council. In this way the
municipal administration has been decentralized. The districts are:
Northern
District
Central District (including the island of Cabrera)
Western District (includes the area of the Bellver Castle)
East
District (including the airport area)
Playa de Palma
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