Madrid Metro lines reopen Wednesday

Environment delegate at Madrid City Council, Borja Carabante, had announced that the works on Metro Line 1 between Sol and Nueva Numancia will conclude almost a month ahead of schedule. Specifically, the route will partially reopen its doors to users on Wednesday. This section includes the stations of Tirso de Molina, Antón Martín, Estación del Arte, Atocha Renfe, Menéndez Pelayo, Pacífico and Puente de Vallecas.

The work, which started on June 24, includes the entire section between Sol and Valdecarros. Therefore, the stations between Nueva Numancia and Valdecarros -Portazgo, Buenos Aires, Alto del Arenal, Miguel Hernández, Sierra de Guadalupe, Villa de Vallecas, Congosto, La Gavia and Las Suertes- will remain closed for a few more days.

This is the second phase of the comprehensive renovation works on Metro L1, which began last February. During this time, the Madrid Municipal Transport Company (EMT) has enabled a free service with up to 58 buses that run from the end of the line to Atocha. Carabante himself described this week as a “success” the free replacement bus service with 70,000 daily travellers and “practically without complaints or claims.”

Once the work is completed, which will have a third night stage and without affecting the operation of the line, it is expected that both the speed and comfort of the oldest route on the network will improve. The works seek to comprehensively improve the operation of the Line, reducing train travel times, introducing greater technological features that increase the reliability of the facilities and optimizing track maintenance work and costs.

This updating process also includes the elimination of the ballast – stones that are placed on the track platform – and the wooden sleepers, to replace them with a new concrete platform, thus renewing the rail fastening and support systems, and incorporating new high-tech devices that manage the crossing and branching of the routes. With this they aim to reduce noise and vibrations and improve the drainage system, which will optimise its conservation and reduce incidents.

In total, action will be taken on more than 13 kilometres of route. Removal of asbestos is also carried out. After this first phase, it is expected that in 2024 the work to improve Line 1 will be undertaken in the remaining section, between Sol and Pinar de Chamartín.

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