It has been years since the last of the surviving Estrella services, the Costa Brava, concluded its route in Barcelona, rendering its own name meaningless. The months when it only traveled to Cerbère on weekends now feel distant, serving as a foreshadowing of what was to come...
Currently, it faces an imminent demise, ironically being one of the few services remaining in our country operated by conventional equipment. The allure of trains in Spain is waning, as 30 years have passed since the glorious 1980s, when express trains stretched for dozens of cars and the soundscape was dominated by the rumble of diesel engines or the hum of rheostatic systems. Everything began to deteriorate. We are witnessing the end of an era, and this is its ultimate casualty.
Here, we see just completing its service, reversing from Cerbère and entering Portbou, where it will await the return journey to Madrid.
