Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE),[1] officially registered as Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha[2] and known in its last years by the brand name Feve, was a Spanish public railway operator, founded in 1965, in charge of operating the national narrow-gauge network, whose management passed to the State after the extinction of the original owner companies.
[3] FEVE was extinguished on December 31, 2012, as a result of the Spanish Government's plan to unify the state-owned narrow and broad-gauge public operators.
[4] Its railway material, as well as the operation of its routes for freight and passengers, in addition to the rights over its corporate identity, were segregated in Renfe-Operadora.
The situation changed radically after 1960, when a large number of small mining railroads went bankrupt and the State came to their rescue.
Due to the large number of lines that the State was forced to manage in such a short time, in order to streamline the administration, a new autonomous organization was formally created on September 23, 1965; that same day EFE changed its name to Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE).
The main FEVE line in the Cantabrian Coast was the one connecting Ferrol with Bilbao through the provinces of Biscay, Cantabria, Asturias and Lugo.
FEVE was also the owner of the international section Puente Internacional in Irun-Hendaye, of the line popularly known as "El Topo", although the operation was ceded to Euskotren.
After the approval of the 1978 Constitution, and in accordance with the state of autonomies it established, as of 1979 a significant part of the narrow gauge network was transferred by the central government to the new autonomous communities, which began to manage it through public bodies: In 2005 FEVE, faced with the new Spanish railway scenario characterized by liberalization and opening to competition (from which FEVE was initially exempted), the public entity undertakes a strategic plan that sets the guidelines for the company in the medium term to start the process of railway liberalization required by the European Union.
The strategic plan aims to increase the company's coverage index by 12 points to 45%, with emphasis on the search for income by attracting tourist traffic and new freight customers, as well as its consolidation in commuter and regional train passengers.