Barcelona underground reaches 100 years approaching maximum capacity

The dozens of officials who traveled by underground between Barcelona's plaça Catalunya and plaça Lesseps in the morning of December 30, 1924 –marking the inauguration of this means of transport in the city– could barely think that exactly one hundred years later, the network would have 125 km and 165 stations.

And they probably did not think either that the metro would be so successful that it would near its maximum capacity ten decades later regardless of the number of lines in operation.

The underground hit its all-time high in passengers in October, with 44.35 million –19.2% more than in September, and 8.4% up from October 2023. Indeed, 2024 will mark its record, since 388 million commuters used it between January and October, 7% more than last year and 14% more than in 2019 during the same period.

Barcelona's metro is expected to hit 450 million annual passengers for the first time this year, and while Xavier Flores, CEO of Barcelona Metropolitan Transportation (TMB), the public-owned institution running the service, believes the limit has not been reached, he also says "offer needs to grow."

Talking to the Catalan News Agency (ACN), he warned population is on the rise –last year, Barcelona hit 1.7 million inhabitants for the first time in three decades and the trend continues. And as a result, more people use the metro, not only in the rush hour, but also during the rest of the day and during the weekend.

Public Transport Promotion association (PTP), a lobby that promotes a wider use and development of the metro, bus and tram networks, adds that the growth of mobility in the Catalan capital, as well as the rise in tourism and the public transport fare discounts also contribute to the numbers.

TMB's Flores explained that they are now working to get funding to buy 17 new trains, which could ease crowds throughout the day, also including the morning rush hour. According to him, "more trains still fit" in the tunnels between 6.00 and 10.00am.

Metros every three minutes in the rush hour, five minutes at the weekend

At the moment, according to official data obtained by ACN, the service frequency in the line 5 in the peak hour is 2 minutes and 29 seconds, and that of line 1 is 2 minutes and 55 seconds –this frequency could near 2 minutes with the expected new trains.

L1 is the most popular one, and together with L5, the second one, they make up more than half of the total number of passengers in the whole network.

Meanwhile, the other popular lines (L2, L3 and L4) oscillate between 3 and 4 minutes from 6 to 10am and frequency could fall to 3 minutes.

During the weekend, there is no line or time of the day when trains run more frequently than every five minutes.

PTP's spokesperson Pol Méndez told ACN that the service must improve not only during the peak hour, but also the rest of the day and especially at the weekend.

L9, two decades in the making, remains the biggest challenge

On top of new trains, TMB and the rest of public authorities involved are focused on extending the network.

Line 9, over two decades in the making, is the biggest challenge. The north and south sections have been running for years, but the section going through Barcelona's upper neighborhoods remains unfinished and the connection between both ends remains far in the distance.

The infrastructure ends in Barcelona's airport after a number of stations in the city outskirts through a winding track –the commuter train is still a significantly quicker way to reach the airport from the center of Barcelona.

Yet, both Xavier Flores and Pol Méndez believe that line 9 not only seeks a "direct connection" between the city and the airport, but to bring the metro to more metropolitan cities, such as El Prat de Llobregat.

Also, Méndez is sure a "boom in demand" will come when the central section of the track is finished – in the first ten months of 2024, both north and south bits of L9 have had roughly 25 million passengers, just a quarter of those using L1.

La Sagrera future hub and its connection with the metro

Another running discussion surrounds another incomplete behemoth: la Sagrera station, also 20 years in the works. Located in the northern part of the city, it will be a hub only similar to Sants, with high-speed and commuter trains, buses and metros.

Yet, PTP believes that high-speed services will have a "very bad" connection with the underground, because only L9 and L10, as well as L4 will be nearby, while the much more used L1 and L5 will be several hundred meters away.

Flores argues it was "technically impossible" to fit more lines in la Sagrera, but adds that L1 and L5 will be connected with the others through tunnels while having to walk a bit more.

Extensions in L1, L2, L3, and L4

Other extensions planned and yet to begin include L1 in both ends: in the south, it will be extended between Hospital de Bellvitge and El Prat de Llobregat, while in the north, it now ends in Santa Coloma de Gramenet's Fondo but will reach Badalona's city center.

Also, L2 will grow between Sant Antoni and Barcelona's newest neighborhood, la Marina del Prat Vermell, going through Montjuïc hill for the first time.

L3 will also be longer, because it will no longer end in Zona Universitària, near Camp Nou stadium, but will travel further west to Esplugues de Llobregat. In the other end, it will connect with L4 ending in Trinitat Vella rather than Trinitat Nova.

L4 comes to an end now in La Pau, but three more stations will be added to reach the new hub in la Sagrera.

And while not part of the metro network, but FGC commuter trains, L8 will be expanded between plaça Espanya and Gràcia, linking both Llobregat and Vallès sections.

Highest rate of adapted stations among centenary metro networks

Flores admitted that a larger number of services and passengers must come with a higher-quality travel experience. According to him, Barcelona has the centenary metro network with the highest rate of adapted stations, that is, 93% of the stations can be used by people with mobility issues.

Compared to Madrid (70%), London or Paris (40%), Barcelona is doing well –yet, TMB is willing to increase the percentage and also adapt it for people with other conditions, such as blindness.