Madrid Metro - WikiHQ

| data-sort-value="2007-04-11" | 2007 However, the line between Casa de Campo and Carabanchel (albeit initially without a station at Casa de Campo) had been open since 4 February 1961; this route was originally part of a larger Carabanchel–Chamartín de la Rosa Suburban Railway which operated independently of the Metro. The route between Aluche and Carabanchel was taken over by line 5 on 29 October 1976 and the section from Casa de Campo to Aluche went the same way on 22 October 2002.

| data-sort-value="2006-11-24" | 2006

| 32

| narrow

| 90 m

|

| align="right" | 77,282,116

| style="background-color: #7B868C" align="center" data-sort-value="6" |

| Circular

| data-sort-value="1979-10-11" | 1979

| data-sort-value="1995-05-10" | 1995

| 28

| wide

| 110 m

| align="right" | 116,054,842

| style="background-color: #FF8300" align="center" data-sort-value="7" |

| Pitis – Estadio Metropolitano Estadio Metropolitano – Hospital del Henares

| data-sort-value="1974-07-17" | 1974

| data-sort-value="2008-02-11" | 2008

| 31

| wide

| data-sort-value="100 m" | 110 m 90 m

|

| align="right" | 45,022,528

| style="background-color: #EE6FBB" align="center" data-sort-value="8" |

| Nuevos Ministerios – Aeropuerto T4

| data-sort-value="1998-06-24" | 1998

| data-sort-value="2007-05-03" | 2007

| 8

| wide

| 110 m

| align="right" | 19,083,480

| style="background-color: #B11CAB" align="center" data-sort-value="9" |

| Paco de Lucía – Puerta de Arganda Puerta de Arganda – Arganda del Rey

| data-sort-value="1980-01-30" | 1980

| data-sort-value="2015-03-25" | 2015

| data-sort-value="2007-04-26" | 2007

| data-sort-value="2010-10-05" | 2010

| data-sort-value="2003-04-11" | 2003

| 28

| wide

| 110 m

|

| align="right" | 46,506,382

| style="background-color: #003DA6" align="center" data-sort-value="13" |

| Ópera – Príncipe Pío

| data-sort-value="1925-12-26" | 1925

| 2

| narrow

| 60 m

| align="right" | 4,496,561

|- class=sortbottom style="border-top: 3px solid"

! style="background-color:white" | 40px|link=Metro Ligero !! colspan="9" style="background-color:#FF0000; color:white" | Metro Ligero

|- class=sortbottom

! Line

! Termini

| 2007

| 9

| tram

| 32 m

| Citadis 302

| No data

|- class=sortbottom

| style="background-color: #A81B8D" align="center" |

| Colonia Jardín – Estación de Aravaca

| 2007

| 13

| tram

| 32 m

| Citadis 302

| No data

|- class=sortbottom

| style="background-color: #FF4438" align="center" |

| Colonia Jardín – Puerta de Boadilla

| 2007 totalling 241 stations and a length of . All lines are self-contained: they operate independently of each other, with no shared track in revenue service.

Although for most of its history the Metro had only operated within the boundaries of the municipality of Madrid itself, this changed with the extension of line 9 into the municipalities of Rivas-Vaciamadrid and Arganda del Rey in 1999. Since then, many more routes have opened outside of Madrid's borders, and today nearly a third of the whole system is not located within the capital. The entire network is, however, located wholly within the larger Community of Madrid.

All lines, except for lines 6, 12 and the aforementioned Ramal, are broadly radial in nature, connecting Madrid's city centre with its surrounding suburbs and municipalities. Line 6 is a circular route which encircles the city's central area; However, the company responsible for operating the Parla Tram, Tranvía de Parla S.A., does not label the tram system as part of the Madrid Metro at all, making no references to the Metro on the trams, at tram stops or on their official website. The Madrid Metro also does not list the Parla Tram as part of its network, nor does it include it on any of its maps. For this reason, and because the Parla Tram has no interchanges with the rest of the Madrid Metro and is located a significant distance away from it, it is not included in this article. Combined, they have 37 stops and measure in length. All three lines opened in 2007 and were built in areas whose populations had not been deemed sufficient to financially justify the construction of new heavy-rail metro lines.

Line ML1, unlike the other two lines, is located entirely within Madrid's borders. It serves the northern suburbs of Sanchinarro and Las Tablas, connecting them to the rest of the network by means of two interchanges: Pinar de Chamartín station with the (heavy-rail) lines 1 and 4 at the southern end, and Las Tablas station with line 10 at the northern end.

Lines ML2 and ML3 both run to the west of Madrid, predominantly outside of the city's boundaries. They connect the municipalities of Pozuelo de Alarcón and Boadilla del Monte with the rest of the Metro: their eastern terminus is at Colonia Jardín station, where passengers can change for the heavy-rail line 10 to continue their journey within the city.

Operators

With the exception of line 9B (the section of line 9 between Puerta de Arganda and Arganda del Rey stations), the entire heavy-rail part of the Madrid Metro network is owned and operated directly by Metro de Madrid S.A., a public enterprise owned by the Government of the Community of Madrid. – through a 30-year-long concession that ends in 2029.

The Metro Ligero network is likewise operated on a 30-year concession basis. Line ML1 is run by Metros Ligeros de Madrid S.A., a consortium of Metro de Madrid S.A. and two private transport companies. Lines ML2 and ML3, meanwhile, are operated by Metro Ligero Oeste S.A. (MLO), a fully private consortium consisting of three shareholders. Both concessions are due to expire in 2036.

Infrastructure

Tunnels

thumb|right|[[Batán (Madrid Metro)|Batán station on line 10 is one of only seven stations on the conventional network not located in tunnels.]]

The vast majority of the conventional network is located underground. The most notable exception to this is line 9B between Puerta de Arganda and Arganda del Rey, almost all of which runs on the surface (although most of the stations themselves are located in tunnels: only Rivas Vaciamadrid and La Poveda stations are out in the open). line 10 through Batán and Lago stations,

The tunnels on lines 1–5 and the Ramal are generally narrower than those on lines 6–12; as a consequence, the Madrid Metro has two distinct loading gauges (see rolling stock below).

By contrast, the Metro Ligero network runs mostly at street level, and it even features multiple road level crossings along its routes (unlike the heavy-rail network which is wholly grade-separated). While line ML1 does also have some significant below-ground stretches, including at a few stops,

Electrification system

thumb|right|275px|Map of electrification voltages used on the Metro network: Orange: 600V; Brown: 600V (futureproofed for 1,500V); Pink: 750V; Green: 1,500V.

All lines of the Madrid Metro are electrified using overhead power supply. Until 1999, this power supply was exclusively in the form of a standard catenary wire hung from overhead gantries at regular intervals; however, since then, Metro de Madrid has instead begun replacing the wires with a rigid overhead rail across all the underground sections of the network. This rail is hung directly from the ceiling of the tunnels instead of from gantries; Metro de Madrid claims that its rigidity makes it less prone to wear and damage and requires less maintenance. , the powered rail is used on all the tunnelled sections of the Metro system, except on most of line 9 where the catenary is yet to be replaced.

The heavy-rail part of the network is powered using direct current at either 600V (lines 1, 4, 5 and 9) or 1500V (all other lines). Metro de Madrid has long-term plans to have the remaining four lines converted to the more efficient

Track layout

The conventional network has a track gauge of and adopts right-hand running; this is because many parts of the system operate at street level,

At platform level, the age of many stations is evident by their design. The oldest stations, built before the 1970s, are often compact and have curved platform walls with white bevelled tiles, similarly to some old-style stations on the Paris Métro. Stations built between the late 1970s and early 1990s have partially vertical platform walls and are somewhat more spacious than their earlier counterparts; a common element between many of these stations was that the walls were covered in brown or cream-coloured tiles. On the other hand, stations built after that period were constructed with space in mind, with wide platforms, natural-like lighting, ample entryways and fully vertical platform walls. The walls are also covered in plastic panels of a single bright colour; the exact colour depends on the station (some colours used on the system include white, light-green, light-blue, yellow, orange and red). Some older stations have also been retrofitted with these coloured panels during recent refurbishment.

Accessibility

, there are a total of 579 lifts on the Madrid Metro network.

Of the 329 stations on the network (counted separately for each line), over 70% are wheelchair-accessible. Five of the thirteen heavy-rail lines (3, 8, 11, 12 and the Ramal) have step-free access at all their stations, as do all three Metro Ligero lines. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the least accessible lines on the network are line 4 and line 5, on which less than half of the stations offer step-free access (11 out of 23 and 11 out of 32 stations, respectively).

Rolling stock

Traditionally, the trains operating in the Madrid Metro have been built and supplied by the Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF). This was particularly true under Francisco Franco's dictatorship, due to the politic of autarky his administration initially pursued. However, despite CAF still working for the Metro, in recent years the Italian AnsaldoBreda has also provided trains for the wide-profile lines.

Every rolling unit in the Madrid Metro has a unique ID that singles it out in the whole network. Those IDs are grouped by the rolling unit model (the "series") and thus is used to categorize the trains, as they bear no user-visible statement of the model specified by the manufacturer. An ID is made up of:

A letter indicating the type of rolling unit: M for a car with both engines and driver's cabin (Spanish Motor), R for an engineless car, with or without drivers cabin (Spanish Remolque) and S for a cabinless car with engines (Spanish motor Sin cabina).
A dash separating the two components
A three or four digit number indicating the unit's series and the position within it. Usually, the series is indicated by the thousands and hundreds (i.e. 5281 indicates a series 5000, subseries 200 train).

Trainsets currently in use

Narrow profile

thumb|A series 2000-B "bubble" metro train on [[line 5 (Madrid Metro)|line 5 at Casa de Campo station]]

CAF series 2000: This series has two separate sub-series usually called A and B. The first batch, while reliable and practical, was extremely "box-like" in its looks. They are nicknamed 'Pandas', after a car by Seat with the same name and similar boxy design. In contrast, the B sub-series train sets can be told apart by its sleeker, rounder forms, which has granted them the nickname of "bubble" (') for their round driver cabin window. Series 2000A are currently the more numerous in the network: 530 cars were built and delivered between 1985 and 1993, having serviced every narrow profile line. They are also among the oldest stock in operation in the Madrid Metro. The most reliable ones are being refurbished and painted with new, lighter colors like the ones used in Series 3000. Series 2000B were delivered in lesser numbers (about 126 cars) between 1997 and 1998, with the inclusion of air conditioning and station announcements through pre-recorded voice messages and LED displays. They are currently used in line 5, with no plans for retirement.

thumb|A series 3000 train arriving at [[Avenida de Guadalajara (Madrid Metro)|Avenida de Guadalajara station on line 2.]]

CAF series 3000: The newest of the narrow line trainsets, series 3000 were commissioned for the reopening of line 3 after its complete renewal in the early 2000s. Their constituent subunits can be completely joined through crossable articulations, making it possible to go from the head to the tail without actually exiting the train. This has earned them the nickname of "boa", a term usually applied in Spain to double-length buses with such joints. They are currently servicing lines 2, 3, 4, 5 and the Ramal. Series 3000 trains look rather like a narrowed version of series 8000, while the interior uses mainly yellow and light blue tones.

Wide profile

thumb|A series 5000 train at [[Plaza Elíptica (Madrid Metro)|Plaza Elíptica station on line 6.]]

CAF series 5000: Currently servicing line 9 and occasionally line 6, this model has had a long history: the first trainsets were delivered in 1974 for the newly opened, first wide-profile line 7, while the latest subseries, 5500, of which 24 trainsets of 6 cars each were built, entered service in 1993. They were the last to use the old, square "box-like" design from CAF, which was already becoming unpopular for its exaggerate priming of effectiveness versus aesthetics. The first iteration featured a wood lookalike coating for the inner walls and a novel seat distribution in two-seat rows perpendicular to the train walls, making them look not unlike older regional trains. Subseries 5100–5200 returned to the traditional seating along the train walls, but still included another feature from the first iteration, automatic opening of all the gates in the train. The final subseries, 5500, has a distinct, darker color scheme and returns to the usual on-demand opening of train gates with a button on each one. Being the oldest rolling stock in operation in the wide profile lines, many cars were retired or sold to the Buenos Aires Underground for operation on line B to make up for shortfalls on the line following extensions.

thumb|A series 6000 train at [[La Poveda (Madrid Metro)|La Poveda station on line 9]]

CAF series 6000: This model, of which 29 trainsets were built and delivered in 1998, was the first by CAF to feature a new, sleeker and rounder design. As it was to serve TFM, the stretch of line 9 connecting Madrid to Arganda del Rey (the first extension of the Metro network outside Madrid proper), its interior resembles the regional Cercanías trains more closely than any other Metro trains: compact seats in couples set perpendicularly to the train walls, more places to grasp in case of a sudden brake/acceleration, etc. They were also the first to include luminous panels stating their destination, as the line they service was effectively split in two stretches, and travellers had to switch trains at Puerta de Arganda. Finally, they primed the "boa train" layout, but the walkable aisle only spanned two cars, while a trainset would usually carry 4 or 6. These trains are equipped with automatic train protection (ATP) and automatic train operation (ATO). Series 6000 is currently doing service on line 9B. In 2013, 73 of the 108 cars ordered were sold to Buenos Aires for operation on line B of the metro system; the sale totalled €32.6 million for the retirement of Japanese-built units, with a further 13 cars ordered at a later date. These trains have been widely criticised in Argentina, and been called the worst purchase in the history of the Buenos Aires Underground.

thumb|A series 7000 train at [[Batán (Madrid Metro)|Batán station on line 10]]

Ansaldobreda series 7000 & 9000: The first purchase to a manufacturer other than CAF, and to a non-Spanish dealer, 37 series 7000 trainsets service the extremely busy line 10. They were the first in the network to feature a full "boa" layout, allowing commuters to traverse the whole six cars. They are extremely functional, with ample 1.3m doors and a sleek, unobtrusive design for a total capacity of 1,260 people per trainset (180 seated). This model also features two TV screens in each car, but they are left unused, both regularly or in emergencies. Series 9000 trains are similar to their previous incarnation, but include better accessibility for disabled people and more safety measures, such as visual and auditive warnings for the train gates and more effective emergency brakes, they also brought small aesthetic changes like the removal of the wood effect from the ceiling and the change of the red top stripe of the doors to a blue color. Series 7000 currently service the main part of line 10 from Puerta del Sur to Tres Olivos and occasionally on line 9; while series 9000 comprise the main fleet of lines 7 and 12, occasionally on line 10, and on line 9 to cover for the sold 6000s.

thumb|A series 8000 train waiting on [[line 8 (Madrid Metro)|line 8 at Pinar del Rey station]]

CAF series 8000: Originally designed for line 12, 45 trainsets were built and delivered by CAF in 2002. Each one is composed of three cars or four cars joined in the "boa" layout, with the three car version servicing line 12 and the four car version servicing line 8 as-is, while lines 9 and 10 use pairs of such trainsets to form a MRM-MRM configuration for a maximum of 1,070 passengers (144 seated). The interior distribution is rather like that of series 7000, with a bigger clear area (i.e. without seating) in the first car for people carrying luggage to/from the airport and disabled people in wheelchairs. Like the narrower series 3000 trainsets, its bogies are insonorized and feature a hybrid rubber-pneumatic suspension system. Series 8000 primed the introduction of regenerative braking in the Madrid Metro. The system reverses the normal circuit of the electric motors when braking, thus making the deceleration return power to the network. Also, they feature the now-standard informative panels and gate activity warnings in the interior. A second batch was ordered for line 11 to replace the series 3000 operating on the line since the extension of the line to La Fortuna in 2010. The original batch currently services lines 12 and 8, while also providing rush hour support to lines 9 and 10 while the second batch currently services line 11.

thumb|A series 8400 train at [[Oporto (Madrid Metro)|Oporto station on line 6]]

CAF series 8400: Derived from the recent series 8000 trains, the 8400 series are the newest train type to enter service on the Madrid Metro on line 6 since 2010 to complement the older series 5000 serving on that line. It currently services line 6.

Metro Ligero

thumb|An [[Alstom Citadis tram on the Metro Ligero line ML2 at Aravaca station]]

Alstom Citadis 302: The vehicles serving the light rail lines are low-floor articulated trams in a five-section "boa" configuration, which allows for a maximum of about 200 passengers per tram (60 seated). They can reach a top speed of 100 km/h (65 mph), but in practice, they are limited to 70 km/h (45 mph) in most track stretches, and even less in urban sprawls. The tram features a bell-like proximity warning that is activated when the train approaches a station or a level crossing with pedestrians, which has given rise to complaints from people living near the tracks because of the noise generated. Safety features also include door activity warnings for passengers and emergency brakes comparatively more effective than in any other train dedicated to Metro service, as the trams, though remaining in their own lanes separated from other traffic, can cross roads and populated areas.

Historic rolling stock

thumb|Historic rolling stock of the Madrid Metro.

Until the early 1990s and the transfer of the Metro system to the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the rate of investment in the network by the central government was extremely low, and thus very old trains were used way beyond their intended lifespans. Particularly loathed was the case of line 5, which was serviced by the nearly 40-year-old series 300 and 1000 from CAF. It was not uncommon that a child would ride to school on the same train his/her parents took decades earlier. Some renewals, along with the purchases of series 2000A and 5000, were started by the socialist regional government of Joaquín Leguina, but in 1995 the People's Party took over the government with the promise to widely extend and improve the Metro service. New lines were built and old ones refurbished: line 5 service was disturbed for several years as some stations at a time were closed and refitted, while line 3 was closed for two consecutive summers in order to expand its platforms to 90 m. Then, new rolling stock was also requested: 1998 saw the arrival of the first CAF series 2000B, retiring the infamous series 1000. Initially, the better-preserved series 300 were refitted and painted in the new blue-white colour scheme (from the old red corporate image), but they were also retired with the arrival of more series 2000B and, finally, series 3000.

Ticketing system and fares

The ticketing and fare systems on the Madrid Metro, as well as on all public transportation within the Community of Madrid, are controlled by the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM), which is a public body owned by a consortium of local governments.

Transport cards

thumb|right|The reverse side of a standard Public Transport Card

thumb|right|275px|Ticket machines used on the Madrid Metro

In order to travel on the Metro, it is necessary to obtain a contactless Public Transport Card (TTP) issued by the Community of Madrid. There are two main types of cards available: the Multicard and the Personal Card. Once a TTP is purchased, it can be topped up with tickets at ticket machines or on the Madrid Metro app. Pay as you go is not available on the Metro.

The Multicard (or Multi TTP) can be collected from ticket machines located at all Metro stations (including all Metro Ligero stops), or from over 1300 designated small retail outlets located in the municipalities within the fare zone system. Each card costs €2.50. These cards are anonymous and, as such, may be used by any passenger at any time. It is even possible for multiple passengers to travel on the same Multicard simultaneously (as long as all passengers start and end their journey together and the appropriate number of tickets has been loaded onto the card).

The standard Personal Card or Personal TTP can be obtained by filling out an application form, which can be done either online or in a pre-booked appointment at one of 22 of CRTM's dedicated management offices. The price of a Personal TTP is €4.00. Unlike Multicards, Personal Cards display the cardholder's name and photograph, and are therefore not transferrable: only the cardholder is permitted to use it. The cardholder may, however, still use their own card to travel together with other passengers (provided that the passengers start and end their journey together and that the card has been topped up with the appropriate number of additional single tickets for the accompanying travellers). A Personal TTP also includes within it (but does not display) its owner's other personal details, such as age, disability status and familial status; this allows the system to show the correct ticket prices to the cardholder, as these may vary depending on these factors.

In addition to these, there are also two special types of personal TTPs, which are likewise non transferrable: the Children's Card and the Blue Card, both of which offer cheaper fares compared to the standard Personal Card (see fare discounts below).

Fare zones

thumb|right|275px|Map of the fare zones within the Community of Madrid set out by the [[Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid|CRTM]]

The CRTM divides the whole public transport network of the area into eight zones: A, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, E1 and E2. Zone A is bounded by the borders of the city of Madrid itself, while the remaining zones form progressively larger approximate rings around the city. The Metro network runs only in zones A, B1, B2 and B3, and over two-thirds of the system is in zone A.

Zones A to C2 together cover the entirety of the Community of Madrid. Zones E1 and E2 are special zones, as they are located outside of the Community but are still served by some local public transport routes to and from the Community; in these zones, TTPs and tickets issued by the CRTM are only valid for journeys either to or from zones A–C2 – it is not possible to use them for local journeys that stay within the two outer zones.

MetroNorte – located north-northeast of Madrid, it includes the cities of Alcobendas and San Sebastián de los Reyes in zone B1, covering the section of line 10B between La Granja and Hospital Infanta Sofía stations inclusive.
MetroEste – situated to the east of the city, it includes the municipalities of Coslada and San Fernando de Henares in zone B1, covering the section of line 7B between Barrio del Puerto and Hospital del Henares stations inclusive.
TFM – located southeast of the city, it covers the entirety of line 9B (i.e., between Puerta de Arganda and Arganda del Rey stations inclusive). Puerta de Arganda is located within Madrid itself, meaning it is the only station to be located in two single-ticket fare zones (as both MetroMadrid and TFM tickets are valid at the station); the other TFM stations are located in the municipalities of Rivas-Vaciamadrid (zone B1) and Arganda del Rey (zone B3).
MetroSur – the largest of the outer zones, located south-southwest of the capital. It includes the cities of Alcorcón, Leganés and Getafe in zone B1, as well as Fuenlabrada and Móstoles in zone B2. It covers the entirety of line 12, along with El Casar station on line 3, Puerta del Sur and Joaquín Vilumbrales stations on line 10, and La Fortuna station on line 11.
MetroLigeroOeste – to the west of Madrid, covers the entirety of lines ML2 and ML3, serving Pozuelo de Alarcón and a small part of Alcorcón (zone B1), and Boadilla del Monte (zone B2).

Tickets

Once a ticket is purchased and loaded onto a Public Transport Card, the ticket must be validated upon entering the Metro system. At the heavy-rail stations, this is done using ticket barriers, at which the passenger needs to place the TTP near the dedicated reader to gain access into the system. All heavy-rail stations have ticket barriers at entrances, and some stations additionally have barriers at the exits. Ticket barriers can also be found at some of the busier light-rail stations, though the majority of the light-rail network instead operates under the honour system, with ticket validators on the trams where passengers are required to tap their TTP immediately after boarding.

The CRTM offers three main categories of tickets to Metro users: Single/10-Trip Tickets, Tourist Tickets and Transport Passes.

Two distinct fare zones are defined for Tourist Tickets: Zone A and Zone T. The former is identical to CRTM's Zone A; tickets for this zone allow for travel on the parts of the Metro and suburban rail (Cercanías) networks that are located in the city of Madrid itself, as well as on all urban bus routes operated by EMT Madrid. The latter zone covers all zones from A to E2 inclusive, with tickets valid on all Metro and Cercanías routes, EMT Madrid's urban buses, interurban buses, urban buses of other municipalities, and the Parla Tram. urban buses of other municipalities, and the Parla Tram – within the zones specified.

Since December 2023, CRTM only offers 30-day passes to the general public. Previously annual passes were also offered, but these were discontinued by the CRTM's board of directors; however, annual passes may still be purchased by legal entities.

Spanish citizens registered in the city of Madrid who meet certain age or disability conditions and have a limited income are entitled to a Blue Card, which can likewise be obtained by free appointment. This card offers a 30-day zone A pass for a price of €3.70 (much lower than the standard fare of €32.70); for other zones, however, the Blue TTP is not valid, and its users must obtain a standard Personal TTP instead.

Members of a "large family" (as defined in Spanish law), as well as people who meet certain disability conditions (defined in Spain as "disabilities of 65% or more"), are entitled to a discount on all Single Tickets, 10-Trip Tickets, Transport Passes, and the Airport Supplement. Unlike the discounted fares described above, which require a Blue TTP or a Children's TTP, these discounts are available on the standard Personal TTPs belonging to the entitled passengers: the special fares are unlocked by CRTM after a successful application process. The large-family discount is either 20% (for "general-category" families) or 50% (for "special-category" families) off the standard fares; the disability discount is valued at 20% off the regular fares. Furthermore, if a person is entitled to both the large-family and disability discounts, the two discounts are applied together, giving a total of 40% or 70% off.

Non-rail services

Heritage sites

In addition to operating the Metro network, the Metro de Madrid company also has a heritage department, which is in charge of the research and conservation of the historical and artistic elements of the system. Several of these elements are available for view to the public, either as museums or as small permanent exhibitions.

Museums

, there are five designated museum sites operated by Metro de Madrid across the city.

thumb|right|The platform level at [[Chamberí (Madrid Metro)|Chamberí ghost station with a passenger train passing through without stopping]]

One of the most well-known museums on the system is the ghost station at Chamberí. Located on line 1 between Iglesia and Bilbao stations, Chamberí station formed part of the very first Metro line in the city – the route between Cuatro Caminos and Sol – which had opened in 1919. The line was undergoing major upgrades during the 1960s, which included extending the platforms on the line from 60 to 90 metres; however, Chamberí's location in the middle of a tight curve made it more difficult to extend the platforms there, while its proximity to both neighbouring stations made such extensions less financially viable. As a result, the operating company instead decided to permanently close the station. The last train called at Chamberí on and, to date, it is the only station on the Madrid Metro network to have been closed to passengers. The abandoned station was eventually restored and reopened to the public as a museum in 2008; visitors to the site can view many antique features of the Metro that date from the 1920s – including route diagrams, advertising posters, ticket turnstiles, and white bevelled tiles covering the walls – and it is also possible for visitors to go down to platform level, where line 1 trains still pass through today without stopping.

Elsewhere on line 1, Pacífico station was also affected by the line's upgrade work during the 1960s. The original single concourse at the station, designed by local architect Antonio Palacios, was deemed insufficient to handle the line's new projected capacity; therefore, it was closed in 1966 and replaced by two larger entrances elsewhere around the station. In 2008, Pacífico's concourse was refurbished, and in 2019 it was reopened to the public as a small museum, depicting Palacios' work during the 1920s.

thumb|right|The historical [[Pacífico Power Plant, Madrid|Pacífico Power Plant]]

Pacífico is also the nearest Metro station to another museum – the former Pacífico Power Plant. This building, constructed between 1922 and 1923, once served as the primary source of electrical energy that powered the trains of the Madrid Metro. The power plant housed three large diesel engines along with other machinery such as transformers and alternators. The plant gradually lost much of its importance starting in the late 1930s; by the 1950s it had become totally obsolete, finally closing in 1972. The site reopened as a public museum in 2008, with much of its former equipment on display.

thumb|right|The historic rolling stock on display at [[Chamartín (Madrid Metro)|Chamartín station]]

At Chamartín station, there is an exhibition of old rolling stock that once circulated on the Metro. In total there are twelve carriages at the site, including two carriages from the Cuatro Caminos series, which was the first type of train to operate on the network upon its opening in 1919. All models that feature in the museum were produced between 1919 and the 1960s (although some continued to serve Madrid until the early 1990s). Adjacent to the old trains there is also a small photo gallery, which summarises the history of the rolling stock on the Metro.

Ópera station, meanwhile, is the site of a 200-square-metre archaeological museum that features the remains of the historic Caños del Peral water supply system. The exhibition depicts: a fountain that once collected freshwater from the nearby Arenal stream, an aqueduct that supplied the water to the Royal Palace of Madrid, and parts of the city's sewage system.

All five museums are open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Visitors may enter the sites for free, although some museums require that a visit be booked in advance due to limited availability.

Small exhibitions

thumb|right|The old Madrid tram at [[Pinar de Chamartín (Madrid Metro)|Pinar de Chamartín station]]

thumb|right|The exedra at [[Bilbao (Madrid Metro)|Bilbao station featuring a heritage advert for a former radio company]]

In addition to the museums, there are numerous smaller permanent exhibitions within Metro station premises that illustrate some historical or artistic aspects of Madrid and its public transport. Eight of them are designated by Metro de Madrid as "traces of the past"; these are:

an antiquated Metro carriage from the Quevedo series – which had operated on lines 1 and 2 between 1925 and 1988 – above the platforms at Alto del Arenal station;
an old tram unit dating from 1908, which had served the former Madrid tram network (closed in 1972), standing at Pinar de Chamartín station;
the concourse at Tirso de Molina station, built in 1921 to a design by Antonio Palacios and left in its original state ever since;
a small collection of sculptures of prehistoric animals at Carpetana station, where modernisation work in 2008 yielded the discovery of more than 10,000 fossil remains of animals that inhabited the area about 14 million years ago;
two mini-museums within the premises of Cuatro Caminos and Gran Vía stations, both illustrating the character of the Madrid Metro during its first years of operation;
two old advertising murals printed directly on tiled walls, at Sevilla and Bilbao stations; the latter mural is inside the domed section of an exedra.

thumb|right|The large portrait at [[Paco de Lucía (Madrid Metro)|Paco de Lucía station, depicting the musician it is named after]]

Other minor exhibitions on the network include:

a large, portrait of Spanish musician Paco de Lucía above the platforms of the station of the same name;
two murals illustrating works of art by painter Francisco Goya on the line 2 platforms of Goya station;
a collection of murals drawn by cartoonist Antonio Mingote on the platforms of Retiro station.

All these exhibitions are located within the public corridors of the stations they are in; as such, they can be visited free of charge (except possibly for the price of a transport ticket, since some of them are located inside the ticket gateline).

Events and temporary exhibitions

Some Metro stations, as well as some of the aforementioned Metro museums, are large enough to accommodate public events. Such events typically occur approximately 5–15 times per year across the network; these can be annual celebrations, such as Christmas concerts and local Book Night activities, as well as one-off events, such as the three-day Fitness Festival in May 2011.

Stations and museums on the Madrid Metro are also sometimes used for temporary exhibitions. Retiro station has hosted multiple displays of modern art as part of the Expometro project, including "The Dream of Madrid" by Pablo Sycet, Rafael Arellano, Tono Carbajo, Christian Domec and Julio Juste in 1986, and "The Passengers" by Daniel Garbade in 2000. In 2019, the historic Pacífico Power Plant hosted the "100 years of the Metro" exhibition, which – together with the permanent exhibition of historic Metro trains at Chamartín which had opened in the same year – attracted more than 27,000 visitors.

Book services

thumb|right|A bibliometro at [[Mar de Cristal (Madrid Metro)|Mar de Cristal station]]

As part of an effort by the Government of the Community of Madrid to encourage its local residents to engage in book reading, several book facilities have been rolled at various stations across the Metro network. The book services come in two types: bibliometros, which is a network of mini-libraries, and metrotecas, which are small bookshelves designated as book exchange points.

Bibliometros are staffed and open every weekday afternoon; books can be borrowed for free, although a personal library card must be obtained prior. , there are six active bibliometros on the system, at Chamartín, Mar de Cristal, Puerta de Arganda, Sierra de Guadalupe, Carabanchel Alto and Puerta del Sur stations. Metrotecas, on the other hand, are unstaffed and may be used for free at any time during the opening hours of the Metro; users are encouraged to leave behind one book of their own for every book they collect. Metrotecas are more numerous than bibliometros, with a total of fifteen locations across the network .

Future

Line extensions

As both the number of trips in the Metro and the number of inhabitants of the Community of Madrid have seen steady increases in recent years, there has been a growing political consensus that further extensions to the network are necessary.

Under construction

thumb|300px|A provisional network diagram of the Madrid Metro from 2020, which includes the currently planned extensions of lines 5 and 11 as well as the extension of [[line 3 (Madrid Metro)|line 3 which has since opened.]]

, there are two network expansion projects under construction confirmed by the operator: a major lengthening of line 11 and a short extension of line 5.

Extension of line 11

The currently relatively short line 11 is part of a major expansion project that will eventually turn the line into one of the longest on the network, with its northeastern end extended towards the Valdebebas neighbourhood in the northeast corner of the city. The project will open in three secions:

Section 1: the southern section (Plaza Elíptica–Conde de Casal) is already under construction; it will extend the line from its present terminus at Plaza Elíptica by five additional stations: Comillas, Madrid Río (both brand-new stations with no interchange), Palos de la Frontera (interchange with line 3), Atocha (intechange with Renfe services to destinations throughout Spain, Madrid's Cercanías suburban rail services, and Metro line 1), and Conde De Casal (interchange with line 6). The contracts for designing the construction work of sections 2 and 3, as well as the southern extension, were awarded in 2022; at the time, the local government was expecting to open section 3 in 2027 as well, but it did not provide an opening date for either section 2 or the Cuatro Vientos route.

The project has earned line 11 its nickname "The Diagonal", as it will run across the whole city from the southwest to the northeast. Metro de Madrid claims that this extension will aid in the decentralisation of the city, given that the line will mostly run away from the city centre (except near Atocha). As such, it is expected to relieve the busy lines 6 and 10 (with the former currently handling most out-of-centre traffic, and the latter also running mostly southwest–northeast). This plan was eventually scrapped in 2020, but not before extra empty platforms were built at Chamartín to accommodate a future extension there. At the southern terminus, some proposals envisaged that the line would instead head south to San Nicasio in Leganés, to connect with line 12, before the current scheme to Cuatro Vientos was adopted.

Line 5 to Barajas Airport

A single-station extension project is currently underway on line 5. This line will be extended one stop at its north-eastern end, beyond Alameda de Osuna towards Airport Terminals 1-2-3 station, where it will connect with line 8 and provide another direct link into the city centre for Madrid Barajas Airport.

Proposals

Nuevo Norte

The Community of Madrid has committed to the construction of a new short metro route from Chamartín station to the new Madrid Nuevo Norte development, with three or four new stations located within the new area. While Metro de Madrid has confirmed its plan to construct a route through the area in general, it is still unclear how it will be connected to the rest of the system. Early proposals suggested that this could be a standalone line running only between Chamartín and Nuevo Norte with fully driverless trains, though a map on the official website for the project suggested that the line could operate as a part of the current line 10, either as a branch line or as the line's new northern route (though in that last case it is unclear what would then happen to the existing section between Chamartín and Hospital Infanta Sofía via Tres Olivos). In May 2025, the Community of Madrid starting exploring the possibility of making the Chamartín–Nuevo Norte route part of line 1; under this proposal, the line would cease to serve the section between Chamartín and Pinar de Chamartín stations via Bambú, which would instead be absorbed into line 4.

Changes to line 9

Unlike the rest of the heavy-rail network, which is wholly owned and operated by Metro de Madrid itself, line 9B (the section of line 9 between Puerta de Arganda and Arganda del Rey) is operated on a concession basis by Transportes Ferroviarios de Madrid (TFM), a consortium of Metro de Madrid and a handful of private companies. The platforms on line 9B are already long enough to handle the 6-carriage trains that operate on the rest of the line so the work required to allow for such services would be minimal. Despite this, Metro de Madrid has not commented on these proposals . Due to the much lower catchment area on this part of the line, it is likely that even if such a project were to go ahead, not all trains would continue to Arganda del Rey, with some instead still terminating earlier en route.

At the same time, Metro de Madrid has also started work on constructing a new station on line 9B, between Puerta de Arganda and Rivas Urbanizaciones stations. This new station will serve the new communities of Los Ahijones and Los Berrocales once those are built and is projected to open in 2029, thus coinciding with the end of the TFM concession. One unconfirmed proposal, suggested by Jorge Rodrigo Domínguez, involves constructing the station with three or four tracks instead of two; 40 of these trains will be of the broad loading gauge type; these are to be used on line 6 and will be fully driverless – a first for the Madrid Metro. The other half of the order consists of narrower trainsets, which will be semi-automatic and will carry a driver; these sets are destined for line 1.

Platform screen doors and automation

On , Metro de Madrid announced that they intend to install platform screen doors at all stations on the circular line 6. In the second half of 2025 preparatory work was carried out, which consisted of major closures of the line (the western half of the circle was out of service between June and September, and the eastern half was closed from September to December); this work included reinforcing the platform edges so that they can support the platform screen doors, which are expected to be put into place station by station starting from January 2026. This project is considered to be the first major step towards the eventual goal of fully driverless operations on the line.

Accessibility improvements

As part of its Accessibility Plan, Metro de Madrid confirmed that they are going to install lifts at several stations throughout the Metro network to allow easier access for people of reduced mobility. Phase 1 of this plan (between 2016 and 2020) envisaged that 17 additional stations would be equipped with lifts, although by 2020 only 11 of those stations were upgraded, plus one more that was not part of the original plan (Sevilla). Phase 2 (2021–2028) is expected to bring step-free access to a further 24 stations, in addition to the 6 that had not received their upgrades in time for Phase 1.

In addition, in line with local policy, all newly built stations must be fully step-free from the start. As a result, the relatively new lines 8, 11 and 12 are already fully step-free at all its stations. Line 3 is likewise entirely wheelchair-accessible since the line's major upgrade in 2003–2006.

Notes

References

External links

Schematic map of the Metro network
Madrid at UrbanRail.net
Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid
Andén 1 – Association of friends of Madrid Metro
User guide, ticket types, airport supplement and timings
Network map (real-distance)
Madrid Metro Map

Operators

Infrastructure

Tunnels

Electrification system

Track layout

Accessibility

Rolling stock

Trainsets currently in use

Narrow profile

Wide profile

Metro Ligero

Historic rolling stock

Ticketing system and fares

Transport cards

Fare zones

Tickets

Non-rail services

Heritage sites

Museums

Small exhibitions

Events and temporary exhibitions

Book services

Future

Line extensions

Under construction

Extension of line 11

Line 5 to Barajas Airport

Proposals

Nuevo Norte

Changes to line 9

Platform screen doors and automation

Accessibility improvements

See also

Notes

References

External links