Empresas e servicios públicosa creación dunha infraestructura de transporte urbano, A Coruña 1876-1925

Abstract

The aim of our research is to depict the birth and developement of public transporta-tion infrastructure in La Corunna, the biggest Galician city, from the previous projects in the last years of the XIX century to the installation of the basic tramway system by the mid twenties. The lack of management skills and financial resources, a common feature in XIX's local gov-ernments, required the participation of private capital, but also these investors suffered some dif-ficulties because of the seclusion of local capital, given the absence of clear profitability expecta-tions. A Belgian financing holding, who temporary assumed the property of the Company, was also unable to manage the situation, and it was necessary the active participation of local bank-ing capital to promote and finance the setting up of a new electric traction system. A growth – based policy was implemented and Company completed the urban net and installed a relevant suburban line; even though, all of these innovations came with a significative time lag in relation to many other Spanish cities.