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Saturdays are changing on the Barcelona metro: L1 and L5 will have more trains
The Barcelona metro is adapting to a reality that has been growing for years: there are more and more passengers on Saturdays. To prevent longer waiting times, TMB will add four extra trains to the L1 and L5 lines from 15 October. The improvement will be in place for eleven hours and will bring frequencies close to every five minutes.
Going for a walk, shopping, meeting friends, or heading to any weekend activity—there are plenty of reasons to use the metro on a Saturday, and passenger numbers show that these days are getting busier.
TMB has decided to respond to this increase in demand with more trains on the red and blue lines, two of the busiest connections in Barcelona.
The change will be introduced this Thursday, 15 October, but it will be on Saturday, 17 October, when passengers can experience the new weekend frequencies for the first time.
From six minutes’ wait to less than five
The change will cover a particularly broad time slot: every Saturday, from 10:00 to 21:00.
During this period, two additional trains will run on L1 and another two on L5. The aim is not to extend the routes, but to make better use of the existing infrastructure to offer a more frequent service.
On L1, current intervals, which sometimes exceed six minutes, will be reduced to between 4 minutes 46 seconds and 5 minutes 30 seconds, depending on the time of day.
On L5, where waits are currently around six minutes, trains will arrive at intervals of less than five minutes during certain periods.
For passengers, this means that missing a train will have less impact: the next one will arrive sooner.
L5 will also get an afternoon boost
Saturday won’t be the only day with changes.
The blue line will add an extra train during weekday afternoon peak hours, when many people are heading home.
This measure will increase capacity on a line that connects neighbourhoods, workplaces, hospitals, and major interchange points in the city.
The numbers explain why TMB has chosen these two lines
The increase in weekend passengers isn’t just a feeling: it’s reflected in the validation records.
During the hours that will get the boost, L1 has gone from 215,522 validations in 2023 to 236,400 in 2026, an increase of nearly 10%.
L5’s growth is even more striking: from 174,797 to 200,282 validations, almost 15% more in three years.
In other words, the two lines now carry tens of thousands more passengers on Saturdays than they did just three years ago.
This increase has led TMB to reorganise train circulation so that supply better matches peak demand times.
When does it take effect?
The new frequencies will start on 15 October 2026.
The Saturday boost will debut on 17 October, with four additional trains split between L1 and L5 from 10:00 to 21:00.
There will be no changes to stations or routes. The difference will be in frequency: more trains running on the same tracks to reduce waiting times and better distribute passengers.