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Line 11 advances beneath Madrid with new key works between Comillas y Madrid Río
The extension of Line 11 of the Metro continues to progress steadily beneath Madrid and is already starting to disrupt daily life in several southern neighbourhoods. The works between Comillas y Madrid Río have entered a decisive phase thanks to the ongoing arrival of new segments manufactured in Toledo, essential pieces that allow the Mayrit tunnel boring machine to keep excavating without interruption.
Every day, around ten lorries connect the Noblejas plant with the capital to transport the structures that will line the new tunnel. The operation runs almost 24 hours a day and highlights the logistical scale of one of Madrid’s most ambitious mobility projects.
The segments also feature technical improvements rarely seen in this type of infrastructure. Their rhomboid design aims to reduce leaks and improve the tunnel’s watertightness, while fire-resistant materials enhance the safety of a line intended to become one of the main axes of the Metro de Madrid.
The tunnel boring machine has already completed nearly half of the planned stretch to Madrid Río and is advancing at about 20 metres per day. In total, around 25,000 segments will be needed to cover the 5.5 kilometres between Comillas y Conde de Casal, a connection that will change how people travel between various points in the south and east of the city.
While the works progress underground, their impact is already being felt on the surface in some neighbourhoods. Noise, machinery traffic, and constant movement around the work areas have become part of daily life for many residents over recent months. The Comunidad de Madrid insists that the inconvenience will be temporary and asks for patience until the works are completed.
The extension of Line 11 also aims to reduce travel times and ease pressure on overcrowded lines and major interchanges. The future route will allow peripheral areas to connect without having to cross the centre, something especially important for thousands of people who travel daily between neighbourhoods and municipalities in the metropolitan area.
Madrid has been expanding outward for years, making mobility one of the city’s major urban challenges. The new Line 11 is precisely an attempt to adapt public transport to an ever-growing capital, where saving transfers and reducing journey times is starting to directly change daily life in many neighbourhoods.