Madrid Is Betting €1.57 Billion That Its Metro Isn’t Done Growing

Madrid has announced a ten-year plan to extend its urban rail network. International Railway Journal reports the programme totals €1.57 billion and adds 27.8 km of new track. Feasibility and engineering studies run from 2027 to 2029, with major civil works between 2030 and 2034, so riders should not expect new lines soon.

The biggest piece is Line 10 south, a 6.5 km extension from Puerta del Sur to Móstoles with six or more new stations, at €1.05 billion. Line 11 would stretch 18.3 km from La Fortuna to Poza del Agua in Leganés, and Line 1 would gain 1.5 km north from Pinar de Chamartín to Las Tablas, with up to two stations, at €150 million.

A 1.5 km extension of light rail line ML3 to the Valenoso development, with two stops, costs €25 million. The extensions sit inside a broader €3.74 billion modernisation effort that includes €1.22 billion for ongoing work on lines 3, 5 and 11 and €950 million to fully automate Line 6.

Demand explains the push. Madrid’s metro handled 389.6 million journeys in the first half of the year, and a 30-month strategic transport plan will guide infrastructure priorities through 2042. For visitors, the near-term takeaway is simply that a system many already use will keep expanding through the 2030s.

Sources: International Railway Journal, International Railway Journal (passenger)