Madrid has revised its transportation plan for Pope Leo XIV’s visit and has decided to close “only” seven Metro stations around the main Mass at Cibeles, instead of the widespread closures initially considered. The goal: to secure the area around the papal events without completely paralyzing the city center.
The Community of Madrid has published an update to its operational plan for June 6–9, during which the Pope will be in the capital, affecting above all the key day of Sunday, June 7, when the mass will be held in Cibeles Square.After several days of considering scenarios involving up to 15 affected stations, the regional government and the Transport Consortium have reduced the closures to seven downtown stops, concentrated in the area around the Cibeles–Recoletos–Retiro axis.
This adjustment comes after the first mobility tests and drills, and seeks to strike a balance between security, evacuation capacity, and maintaining minimal connectivity in downtown Madrid.
The seven Metro stations that will close
The new plan stipulates that on Sunday, June 7, the day of the Pope’s Mass at Cibeles, the following seven stations will remain closed from the start of service (6:00 a.m.) until 2:00 p.m.:
- Retiro (Line 2)
- Banco de España (Line 2)
- Seville (Line 2)
- Velázquez (Line 4)
- Serrano (Line 4)
- Colón (Line 4)
- Chueca (Line 5)
Trains will continue to run at all of these stations, but will not stop while the closure is in effect, which covers the entire duration of the Mass and the arrival and departure of the hundreds of thousands of attendees expected.
Why are those stations being closed?
The selected stops form a ring around Cibeles and Recoletos, the epicenter of the Eucharist and the perimeter security zones. Banco de España, Sevilla, and Retiro stations will close to prevent crowds from gathering directly at Plaza de Cibeles and at the direct access points to the event, while Colón, Serrano, Velázquez, and Chueca stations will help relieve congestion in the immediate area by redirecting passengers to stations slightly further away, such as Goya, Alonso Martínez, or Gran Vía.
The idea is for those attending the Mass to walk from stations located somewhat further away, spreading the flow of people across various exits and minimizing bottlenecks on the surface. At the same time, the goal is to ensure that those not participating in the papal events can still move around the city center with relative ease, although they will be required to walk a few minutes longer.
Reinforcements, schedules, and alternatives
The closure of these seven stations is accompanied by a significant increase in service: Metro de Madrid has announced that during the weekend of the papal visit, it will increase train frequency by up to 100–125% on the most affected lines (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10) and extend operating hours in the early morning from Saturday, June 6, to Sunday, June 7, until 2:30 a.m. The Transport Consortium has also announced additional service on EMT and Cercanías lines, as well as detours and road closures around Plaza de Lima and Cibeles during the main events.
In practice, anyone traveling through the city center on Sunday morning will need to plan their routes in advance: choose alternative stations (Goya instead of Serrano, Gran Vía or Callao instead of Sol–Sevilla–Banco de España, Alonso Martínez or Colón depending on the time of day) and allow for a few extra minutes of walking.
