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Barcelona has a bit of interurban-related history. Well, technically the modern (REEE)tram is an interurban, since it connects Barcelona to no less than 8 other municipalities. But there's no rural-type ROW, nor does it ever leave the urban area.
Now, the smallest of the three commuter train systems, the popular "Vallès" line which connects the eponymous region, including the quite large cities of Terrassa (pop. 216k), Sabadell (207k), Sant Cugat (89k) and Rubí (74k) among others, started its life as an interurban tram.
A preexisting, short commuter line which ran from Barcelona to the then city (now borough) of Sarrià was extended through the mountains starting in 1916, and the whole line with the two branches was finished in 1923, plus a short tunnel in Sabadell in 1925.
For rolling stock american Brill cars were imported, shipped in pieces and assembled at the line's own shops. Until 1929 the line ran up Balmes street in Barcelona, then Via Augusta until Sarrià. However it always had a full ROW with level crossings at each street. This eventually triggered the inevitable *autistic screeching* because dumb spaniards are scared of da big choo choo, so a tunnel was built (local residents even wanted to cut the line short to its next-to-last station, Provença, completely removing it from the city center), first for the most central section, and eventually, between the 1940s and 70s, tunneling was extended all the way to Sarrià. It was very, very important to build an expensive tunnel for the horrible and dangerous train, so that a beautiful and safe 6-lane-quasi-highway could be built on top.
