The Delegate Commission of Metro de Madrid meets this week with the Regional Transport Consortium of the Community of Madrid to specify the alternative public transport to the 19 stops of metro line 1, in the section that goes from Sol to Valdecarros, which They will be inoperative throughout the summer because the entire track will be renewed.
Both organizations, and with the approval of the Community of Madrid, have to agree on the free public transport that will be offered to the thousands of citizens who use that metro line every day, as well as its frequencies.
This situation is aggravated because there are also cuts in the suburban train network in some sections of the center of the capital.
Union sources point out that the line will be out of operation from next June 24, according to Europa Press, but the exact date will come from the aforementioned meeting.
This is a major work, which affects thousands of passengers who use it daily to get from the south, the Vallecas area, to the center of the capital. Only in Vallecas it will affect more than 350,000 people.
Line 1 had 82 million trips in 2022, making it the line with the second highest number of passengers in the entire Community of Madrid network. Only behind line 6, which is the circular.
The total budget for the renovation amounts to 26 million euros; There will be several companies that come to execute the new infrastructure of the line, since it affects 13 kilometers.
The initial project already stated that the contract is divided into two lots: the first for the comprehensive renovation of L1 between Sol and Atocha and the second for the Atocha to Valdecarros stations.
In the first phase, the works have been carried out at night and without affecting the service of the line, but in this second phase the complete service has to be cut.
The execution of the second phase is planned for a maximum period of 129 days (more than 4 months), with the interruption of the metro service between Sol and Valdecarros, since the works are incompatible with the circulation of trains. In addition, possibly in 2024 the track will be renewed in the section between the ChamartÃn and Sol stations.
The previous works began in March and will last until the end of this month. The most relevant work has been left for the summer with the intention that it affects fewer passengers. The problem is that there are only a few days left and the free bus lines to be implemented have not yet been made public, nor their frequencies.
The project consists of eliminating the ballast, the traditional stones that can be seen in some sections of the route, and the currently existing wooden sleepers, to replace them with a new concrete platform, which will renew the fastening and support systems of the rail and new high-tech track devices (devices that manage the crossing or ramifications) will be installed.
This modernization also entails noise and vibration attenuation. In addition, the drainage system and the geometry of the route will be optimized and thus maintenance work will be improved and incidents will be reduced. In addition, improvements will be made to the overhead line and the signaling system. And finally, asbestos removal work will be carried out in the infrastructures that require it.
