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Barcelona regains two key Metro links today after the summer closures
This Monday 7 September, Barcelona regains two important connections in its Metro network after the summer works. The underground passage between the Catalunya L1 and L3 lines reopens, and L9 Nord and L10 Nord trains are once again running normally between La Sagrera and Bon Pastor.
The most visible change is at Plaça Catalunya. Since 6 July, those wishing to transfer from L1 to L3, or travel in the opposite direction, had to leave the metro, walk at street level and re-enter through another entrance. The entrances used for the temporary interchange are about 300 metres apart.
The detour affected one of the most heavily used transfers in central Barcelona. TMB estimates that around 43,000 people pass through this corridor on a working day, including journeys from L1 to L3 and from L3 to L1. From today, they can once again make the whole interchange underground.
The two-month closure has been used to renew the corridor almost completely. Work has been carried out on the cladding, civil engineering, installations and communications systems. Asbestos present in the space has also been removed, although TMB specifies that the material was no longer accessible to users. The work was awarded for 1.2 million euros.
Normal service returns to another point on the network on the same day. From 5:00 this Monday, the entire shared section of L9 Nord and L10 Nord between La Sagrera and Bon Pastor is operating again, bringing an end to the closure that had affected these lines since late June.
The disruptions began on 25 June between La Sagrera and Onze de Setembre. From 31 August, during the final phase of the works, the section without trains was extended as far as Bon Pastor, and TMB maintained a special bus service to replace the connection.
In this case, the works belong to the Generalitat and are concentrated on the large shaft built for the future connection between the northern branches and the central section of L9 and L10. The project has a budget of 22.6 million euros. Today’s reopening means the disruption to the current service disappears, but it does not mean that the central section of L9/L10 has already been completed or is in operation.
The simultaneous restoration of both points thus removes two of the inconveniences that had accompanied users during the summer. At Catalunya, the 300-metre street transfer disappears, and in the north of the city the replacement bus between the affected stations is no longer necessary.