Metro changes the Line 1 project and keeps Pinar de Chamartín

The new configuration will preserve the direct connection of neighbourhoods such as Pinar de Chamartín, Sanchinarro and Bambú with the city centre, while also serving the future Madrid Nuevo Norte urban development.

The change is a turn from the original proposal, which considered moving the line terminus and required some users to make a transfer to continue their journey. That proposal prompted opposition from neighbourhood associations and residents in the area, who demanded that the direct service be maintained.

According to the Community of Madrid, the chosen alternative will allow trains to be distributed between both termini without reducing frequency at Pinar de Chamartín. The regional government maintains that the aim is to extend the network without harming those who already use this line daily.

Neighbourhood associations have received the announcement cautiously. Although they positively value the decision to discard the disappearance of the current terminus, they demand to know how the service will be organised and whether the promised frequencies will be maintained when the extension enters operation.

The decision comes after analysis of more than 3,400 objections submitted during the public-information process. Neighbourhood mobilisation has been one of the factors that led to modifying the design planned for the extension.

The future Madrid Nuevo Norte station will be a key part of the urban development that will transform the railway area in the north of the capital. The connection via line 1 seeks to facilitate access to the new neighbourhood from the outset and reinforce public transport as the axis of its growth.

The measure sets an unusual precedent in the Metro network. For the first time, the same line will have two termini at one of its ends, a solution through which the Community seeks to reconcile Madrid’s expansion with the needs of neighbourhoods that already depend on this line for their daily journeys.