While things seem to be proceeding normally on the surface, beneath our feet the Madrid Metro continues to transform into the service it will become in a future that is drawing ever closer: this is evidenced by the recent joining of the two excavation fronts between Comillas and the future Madrid Río station with the arrival of the Mayrit tunnel boring machine, which has dug beneath the Manzanares River and the M-30.
This is“one of the most significant milestones since the start of the Metro Line 11 expansionproject,” the regional government notes, following which both banks of the river are now connected beneath the M-30 and construction of the major diagonal subway line has reached its halfway point.
The machinery used to align both ends of the excavation—known as a “tunnel face”— comes from Germany, features state-of-the-art technology, and has been in use on the project since March 26: since then, it has excavated 1,116 meters, at an average rate of about 15 meters per day, which amounts to 21% of the planned total.
The future map of the Madrid Metro
With the extension of Line 11, the Madrid Metro map will be significantly transformed, linking Cuatro Vientos and Valdebebas via a corridor that will facilitate travel between the southwest and northeast of the Community of Madrid.
Once completed, the northern section will gain six new Metro stations in different neighborhoods:
- Mar de Cristal. It will connect with Lines 4 and 8, beneath Arequipa Street.
- Ifema-Cárcavas. Alongside the expansion of the exhibition grounds.
- Valdebebas Interchange / City of Justice.
- Enfermera Isabel Zendal Hospital.
- T4 – Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. It will be connected to Line 8.
- Valdebebas Norte. Near the future Valdebebas Shopping mall, the largest in the region.
However, in other neighborhoods where having a metro stop has been a long-standing demand—such as Las Águilas (in Latina)—the route outlined in the Community of Madrid’s project does not include one. This has not been the only source of tension between residents and the regional government throughout the process: in 2023, pressure from residents succeeded in modifying the project to prevent the felling of trees.
