Southern Madrid could see a minor railway revolution in the coming years thanks to the return of the abandoned train line between Móstoles and Navalcarnero and, with it, the possibility of extending the C-5 commuter line toward Villaviciosa de Odón and Boadilla del Monte, connecting these municipalities by rail for the first time. It is not yet an approved project, but it is a significant development that the Ministry of Transport has launched a feasibility study for the Móstoles–Navalcarnero connection and has agreed to include in that analysis a branch line to these two towns in the western metropolitan area, which have traditionally relied on cars, buses, and the light rail system.
The story begins with the old project to extend the C-5 from Móstoles-El Soto to Navalcarnero, a corridor whose construction began more than 15 years ago and was abandoned, leaving half-built viaducts and enormous frustration in the area. Now, the Ministry of Transport has put out a call for bids for the study to update that route and propose alternatives so that the rail connection can finally become a reality, as part of the major plan to modernize the C-5, to which 1.35 billion euros and 28 projects have been allocated to increase capacity and improve stations.
On paper, the plan is for the Móstoles–Navalcarnero line not to stop there, but to incorporate a branch line to Villaviciosa de Odón and Boadilla del Monte, two municipalities in the western arc currently without commuter rail service that have been lobbying in recent months to be included in the technical evaluations. The idea, still in a very preliminary phase, outlines a new commuter rail corridor that would connect Móstoles with these towns and, from there, with the existing network, offering an alternative route to the congested A-5 highway and intercity bus lines.
What exactly is being studied?
For now, the only certainty is the commissioning of the feasibility study, which is in the bidding phase and will need to analyze various route alternatives, costs, and demand before the Ministry makes decisions on which project will actually move forward. Among those options is the aforementioned branch line to Villaviciosa and Boadilla, a possibility that the municipalities involved describe as a “decisive first step” because, for the first time, it appears in black and white in official documents and not just in the realm of municipal aspirations.
Villaviciosa de Odón, in particular, has been calling for years for a rail solution to reduce its dependence on buses and private cars; its inclusion in the study responds precisely to its strategic location in the southwest and the lack of alternative connections. Boadilla del Monte, for its part, would see its current light rail line reinforced with a commuter rail connection that would link it directly to Móstoles and the rest of the C-5 network—a development particularly significant for a municipality that has experienced explosive growth in both population and economic activity.
Between hope and caution
The news has been received with enthusiasm by the local councils involved, which see it as an opportunity to rebalance the transportation network in the south and west of the region and to reduce daily congestion on the A-5, M-50, and M-501 highways. But beyond the headlines, the local councils themselves and the Ministry point out that this is only the beginning of the process: the feasibility study will take months, after which a final project will need to be finalized, funding secured, and, finally, the construction work carried out.
Meanwhile, the major safety overhaul of the C-5 line already has a roadmap in place, including the expansion of platforms to accommodate longer trains, new siding tracks, the renewal of signaling systems, and the construction of a new station at Móstoles-El Soto, with the goal of increasing the line’s capacity by 60% and reducing the disruptions currently experienced daily by hundreds of thousands of passengers.