Barcelona Metro

Sant Andreu Station

On the recent trip the Celtic Sage stayed some 3 miles from the centre of Barcelona in the city suburb of Sant Andreu which was a short hop on the Red Line (L1) to the main central transport interchange of Catalunya on the Plaça Catalunya. This was more of an introduction to the commuter system than I banked on as there are two lines which go through Sant Andreu, not just the Metro but also the suburban line which has a metro like feel with similar carriages. There were two giveaways to uninitiated tourists like ourselves that we were NOT on the Metro. Firstly steps came out from the automatic doors and you had to step up into the carriage and secondly, and somewhat alarmingly, after the next station of Fabra i Puig the train continued non-stop to Catalunya. No harm done as we got into the centre quicker and over the next few days we came to know and rely on this impressive and comprehensive integrated transport system as we travelled around Barcelona.



In the 83 years since its opening, the Barcelona Metro has grown to a network of six lines, spanning 86 kilometres and serving 115 stations. Backed by enormous investment and vision on the part of its parent company, Ferrocarils Metropolitans de Barcelona (FCMB), the city transit authority (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, TMB) and the Catalan government, the system is poised for impressive growth. Various extensions and state of the art upgrades will provide Barcelona residents with one of the most expansive and sophisticated metros in the world by the end of this decade.


System Map

Faced with crowding population and outward urban expansion, the post-industrial revolution Barcelona of the late 19th and early 20th centuries drastically needed public transit. The city initially found relief in a fleet of street trams that entered operation in 1872. However, the trams were limited by increasingly dense traffic and the convoluted street layout of the city's Gothic Quarter. In 1907, after an exhaustive study commissioned by the city on traffic conditions and transport options, the urban planners Pau Muller and Gonçal Zaragoza recommended the construction of an underground metro system. Although the project had been approved within a few years, construction did not begin until 1922. On 30 December 1924, the Catalan capital finally inaugurated its first underground route - Line I of the Gran Metropolitano, from Plaça Lesseps to Plaça Catalunya.





Construction of the second line of the Gran Metro, from Aragó in the central Eixample Dreta neighbourhood to the central post office near the port, was complicated by several factors - not least of which were an abundance of subterranean water and a city council ruling that prohibited diverting traffic for construction under Via Layetana, one of the city's busiest streets. Nonetheless, Line II entered into service in 1926 with two new stations, Urquinaona and Jaime I, as well as a connection to line I at Aragó. The then lines I and II correspond to segments of today's lines 3 (L3) and 4 (L4), respectively.

The Barcelona Metro today is a conglomeration of two operating companies, the "Ferrocarril Metropolita de Barcelona" (Metro) which operates metro lines 1 through 5, and "FGC", Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, which operates two city-only lines, U6 and U7, and several suburban lines all from a terminal station at Placa de Catalunya. Fares are integrated into Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, a city-wide system that also includes local and regional buses and some regional train services. 98% of the rail tracks are subsurface.

The Metro lines 1-5 were built in the beginning of the 1920s and several lines are still being extended today. In May 1999 a new plan for metro and light rail lines in the Barcelona metropolitan area was approved by the ATM. The plan includes some 50km of new lines, intended to be built within 10 years. Line 9 will be the longest tube line in Europe, stretching between Santa Colomna and the airport. A very similar plan was approved in 1971 for the period up to 1979 to create a network of 111km and 142 stations. But almost 30 years later, the Barcelona Metro had only reached 83.5km.




Fabra i Puig Station

This time it would appear that the politicians mean business and there will be a vast expansion of the network to cover the urban expanse of Barcelona. Construction work is taking place currently on L9 / L10, which will run from Badalona and Santa Coloma to the Zona Franca district and El Prat International Airport. The lines, which will share a central section between Bon Pastor and Torrassa (L1), will be the longest underground metro line in Europe, at 26.6 miles (42.6km), and will have 52 stations. The project was approved in 2000 but has been challenged by some technical difficulties and some of their sections are pending further geological analysis, which of 2007 is the reason for the delay in the construction of some of the mentioned sections, which won't be ready until 2012 or even as late as 2013. As of mid 2007, there are currently 150 operational stations in the Barcelona Metro, served by the 9 lines in current use, which will increase to an impressive 209 when lines L9 and L10 are finally completed. The average distance between stations is of 650 metres.





The evolution experienced by the public transport network in Barcelona has taken place in a parallel manner to the urban growth of the area, and has both adapted itself to and promoted the expansion of the built-up areas. Since the launching of the first tramway line, in 1872, the public transport in Barcelona has gone through several phases. The metro was born from the need to complement the existing road transport network in the city and in 1908 there were tunnels built below Via Layetana.

However, it was not until 1924 that the first metro line was inaugurated. Today the Barcelona Metro has five lines in service, 115 subway stations and 83.5km of track (two whole new lines are being constructed and four others are being extended). Its rolling stock is made up of 105 five-carriage car trains, of which 93 are, unlike the London Underground, equipped with air conditioning. TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) is the corporation that manages 86% of the public transport system.

The Barcelona Metro is one of the most under-used resources available to tourists. It is safe to use at any time of day and it comprehensively covers most of the city and is pretty cheap. Metro maps appear on most Barcelona maps and guide books usually say which stop is the nearest to a particular sight (it is an 'M' in a diamond shape in most guide books) so you will always know where you are going. The Metro in Barcelona is open until midnight from Sunday to Thursday, until 2am on Friday and through the night on Saturday.


Line Diagram

One of the most important things to get your head around is the various tickets available. Choosing the right ticket is essential to taking full advantage of the low prices of the Barcelona Metro. The ticket machine display can be put into English, so the first thing to do is press the British flag at the bottom of the screen (unless you are really confident in your Catalan!) You should see a screen like in the picture on this page. The options available to you are:




Ticket Machines

Single ticket (Price: 1.30€) The most expensive ticket and not worth buying unless you really only plan on making one journey. Worth buying for your journey to the airport, when your other ticket has run out.

T-10 Ten Journeys (Price 7.20€) Much cheaper than buying individual tickets, each journey works out at 72c, which is a fraction over half price and at 50p compares well with the cheapest cash fare of £2.00 in London! More than one person can use the ticket at the same time too - you can pass the ticket back and your companion can pass it through the machine too. A “journey” lasts 75 minutes, so you can change metros as many times as you want in that time and can even go onto a bus. You have to remember to validate your ticket each time in the machine provided.

So, really, the T-10 is the only ticket worth buying. If you come to your last day and have a busy day ahead, buy the T-DIA, and if you come to your last journey, get a single ticket. But, fellow visitors use the Metro, No more expensive taxis all the time! The Barcelona Metro is cheap and will get you to your destination so much quicker, allowing you more time to explore new areas of the city. Go on now, don't be scared, try it!


Sagrada Familia entrance


Sagrada Familia Station

The Funicular de Montjuïc, a funicular railway, is fare-integrated and listed on maps as part of the metro network, being connected directly to the metro at Paral•lel station. In addition to those, Renfe and FGC trains and the increasingly important Trambaix and Trambesòs routes and stations are displayed on most recent maps, including the info maps in the metro stations, all in a single variety of dark green.








Funicular de Montjuïc

An overwhelming majority of stations in the network lack related buildings or structures above ground, as opposed to other subway networks as the London Underground, mostly consisting of an access with stairs, escalators and sometimes an elevator. The official TMB metro indicator, a red rhombus with a M inside, isn't still used by FGC lines, which use their company logo and a different rhombus-shaped logo inside stations. Below ground their decoration is remarkably sober, with the exception of a few stations.

The ambience of the system is good even if the entrances are lack lustre lacking any real drama or great presence at street level. However step free access is far better than, say, London Underground with numerous lifts, occasional “stair lifts” and permanent ramps on platforms. Unlike London, which tends to over engineer such items, here the platform ramps are yellow poly ramps permanently at the front and back of the platforms serving 3 carriage doors each. Simple, cost effective, visible and easily understood. Where it does fall down is like of access information on maps so passengers cannot easily work out the step free access / egress and connections to enable them to plan independent journeys.




Carriage Interior

Station lighting is good, normally back lighting, resulting in bright platforms and the standard of surfaces is also generally good due to the amount of newly built lines and the whole system being upgraded for the 1992 Olympics so that the whole system has a similar “look and feel”. Cleaning is OK but of course Barcelona has a great advantage over London in that several tons of “free” newspapers are not dumped on it each day, not to mention “strays” in the tunnels to cause line stopping tunnel fires (http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/litter-is-disgusting-so-are-those.html ). System security is taken seriously with highly visible CCTV, armed Police, and sniffer dogs, security guards and visible staff. The Police presence is throughout the system and not like London where it tends to be show piece “high visibility” policing gestures with the system generally abandoned the rest of the time. Obviously the visible, continuous and clearly integrated security on the Metro is a response to the Madrid train bombings but certainly results in a high degree of reassurance for residents and visitors alike.


An assault being captured on CCTV

On platform the train time displays are obviously driven off sophisticated signalling and control systems as they count down the arrival time of the next train in seconds, a revelation to somebody used to the notionality of London Underground minutes and an excellent value added perception for waiting passengers! Once on the carriages they are bright and well maintained with no sense of crowding due to all the doors being doubles and well spaced and the rolling stock being at least 2 feet wider than London Underground surface stock as they are running on the Spanish gague of 5 ft 5⅔ in. (1,668 mm ). This is the same as surface stock as there is no “tube” stock and this certainly results in roomy carriages with good circulation and most carriages have comfort cooling similar to that which will be introduced on London Underground sub surface stock up to 2012. Traction power is by high voltage overhead wires which is more efficient and requires fewer transformers than rail traction power. It also greatly simplifies track maintenance and increases safety compared to rail traction power systems, as in London.

Information is very good with displays and Digital Voice Recorders (DVRs) announcing the next stations. Two nice features are; Stations illuminate on the Line diagrams over the door to show you which stations the train has gone through giving passengers a quick visual reference on where they are and at the top left and right corners at the end of the carriages a green arrow illuminates to indicate the side on which doors will open at the next station. Generally these are staggered at alternate stations in the central area. Most train sets have walk through connectors (as proposed on the new London Underground stock) giving an airy and secure feel to the train sets as commuters don’t feel isolated in individual carriages.


Plaça Espanya Station

Many of the newer carriages have airline style video displays in the carriage vestibules and I was expecting these to contain advertising. However I was pleasantly surprised as in a refreshing reflection both of the public service ethos of the Metro and the pride the citizens of Barcelona feel in their system they contain short passenger safety informercials and public service notices. More tellingly, and in sharp contrast to the balkanised operation on the London Tube, there were longer informercials on the operation and maintenance of the system. For Barcelona Metro is a vertically integated operation and does everything cost effectively “in house” so it builds up and controls its own operational expertise. So there were informercials on track maintenance, signalling, train operations, security and much more. The effect of this vertical integration was apparent in the quality of the operation on the ground with excellent ambience, no delays, clean carriages, good information and an overall impressive look and feel to the system. The combination of roomy carriages, comfort cooling and a smooth ride due the combination of high track quality and automatic train operation with soft start / soft stop and regenerative braking made for a pleasant experience in transit in contrast to the jerky uneven ride on London Underground. Indeed what London has lost from its “Alice in Wonderland” PPP model can be seen in many other aspects of the service such as soft start / soft stop on escalators which go into slow “sleep” mode until passengers approach them and trigger the movement detectors. Far better not to waste energy in the first place than have heat build up due to waste power being dissapaited in the Underground! Indeed I have probably been unfair to Alice in Wonderland as it was written by a mathematician who was aware that things need to add up!


1924 Stock


New Barcelona 9000 series

Metro stations occasionally hold events, and the TMB has recently organised a Music in the Metro series with scheduled live performers. Service is also extended for certain holidays, such as all night service during New Year's Eve or the city's annual festival of La Mercé, once again a reflection of the flexibility and ability to respond to customer needs which comes from being in control of your system. From what I saw the pride of Barcelona’s citizens in its transport system is well justified as it displays an impressive quality in its management and operations due to the simple focus on public service and operational competence which goes in hand with the vertical integration of operations and maintenance functions. This in turn is reflected in staff pride, customer identification and lower operating costs reflected in fare levels which are, on average, 40% of those charged per kilometre in London. The Barcelona Metro has been serving city residents for more than eight decades and is on track to becoming one of the most sophisticated and user-friendly in the world.