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The Cercanías C-5 will terminate at Atocha for four weekends
Madrid Cercanías' C-5 line will change its operation for four weekends because of improvement works at Atocha Cercanías. Trains will run only as far as Atocha and will not continue directly towards the other end of the line, forcing many users to change trains to complete their journey.
The measure will affect the last two weekends of May and another two weekends following the Pope’s visit to Madrid. Renfe has chosen to concentrate the work on days of lower demand in order to reduce the impact on work-related travel, although the disruption will still be felt on a line widely used by residents of Móstoles, Alcorcón, Leganés, Fuenlabrada, Humanes and the south of the capital.
On those days, people travelling on the C-5 will have to get off at Atocha and change to another train on the same line if they wish to continue towards Humanes or Móstoles El Soto. The journey will still be possible, but with more waiting time, more movement on platforms and a greater need to check screens and notices before continuing the journey.
The works form part of efforts to expand the capacity of Atocha Cercanías and improve the running of several lines, especially the C-3, C-4 and C-5. The station is one of Madrid’s major railway hubs, and any intervention on its tracks has an immediate effect on a large part of the network.
On the weekend of the papal visit, scheduled for 6 and 7 June, the works will stop to facilitate travel during a period of high attendance in the city. They will also be coordinated with the planned closures at Sol, which will remain out of service for several weekends because of work on the Cercanías tunnel that connects to Atocha.
For regular passengers, the advice is clear: check timetables before leaving and allow extra time, especially if the journey includes connections with the Metro, Media Distancia trains or interurban buses. On weekends with leisure activities, shopping, concerts or events in the city centre, an extra change at Atocha can end up making the journey considerably longer.
Atocha serves as a daily hinge for thousands of journeys between the metropolitan south and central Madrid. The works aim to prepare the station for a network with greater capacity, but over the coming weeks that improvement will have a very specific consequence for C-5 users: more train changes and fewer direct journeys.