tunnel

Traffic heading to and from the north will travel underground for 957m

Only public transport, local residents and emergency services will be allowed to run above city's Glòries square

Rail operator begins evaluating impact on network after Tuesday's accident in Girona region in which no one was hurt

The Barcelona Metro will reach El Prat Airport by the first half of 2016, perhaps even earlier, according to forecasts announced on Wednesday by the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas. The L9 line connecting Barcelona municipality to El Prat Airport and other cities has been under construction since 2002, and was originally anticipated to open in 2008, but the financial crisis and the state of public finances have delayed its full completion. An initial stretch of the line became operational in 2009, located at the opposite end to the airport. Once fully finished, the underground line will consist of two branches spanning across the Barcelona metropolitan area, making it the longest automatic metro line in Europe. The entire project will represent a total investment of €16 billion, €3 billion of which is for the airport connection. The test phase of the airport stretch will begin this autumn and should be completed by early 2016 or earlier.

Joaquim Nadal, responsible for Territory and Infrastructures, denies that the cathedral is at risk by the construction of a tunnel near it, but urges the building firm to check that the Sagrada Família does not have any structural damages.