The government of the Community of Madrid has finally set a date for the works on line 1 of the metro, which means that some 350,000 users of Vallecas and the Vallecas bridge will not be able to use it: it will be next June 24. And the works will last until October, the month when the reopening is scheduled.
This has been confirmed by the acting Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, David Pérez, after the meeting of the Madrid Regional Transport Consortium, held this Thursday, where the free bus device that will supply the service has also been analysed.
As detailed, there will be 50 buses from the Municipal Transport Company of Madrid (EMT) that will have frequencies of between two and four minutes. In addition, metro line L6 will be reinforced to compensate for the mobility problems of the cut.
The works will last about four months, with which the 19 stops of the 33 that make up this line, between Sol and Valdecarros, will be inoperative for travelers throughout the summer. The contract provides that the remodeling can last 129 days at most.
This Thursday the managers of Metro de Madrid met with those of the Regional Transport Consortium to establish alternative transport. It has been established that a substitute service of 50 buses will be put into circulation at no additional cost to cover some 22 kilometers of the affected section on the surface.
Travelers will have timely information about the alternatives available. And the number of vehicles will vary depending on the time slot and influx of people.
The first phase of the works started on April 3 at night and without affecting the service. During these months, material has been collected and the roads have been prepared for subsequent actions, but now it is time to lock down that southern section because “it is a large-scale work, since the stones are going to be removed that can be seen in some sections of the route and the current wooden sleepers, which are going to be replaced by a concrete platform”, explains one of the Metro Madrid spokespersons.
The performance will be on 13 kilometers of the tracks. In addition, devices will be installed to manage the crossing or ramifications. The modernization of the tracks implies a reduction of noise and vibrations. In this way, maintenance work will be improved in the future and incidents will be reduced. Afterwards, the works will continue for another four more months, but the service will now be open to passengers because the nighttime closing hours of the underground will be used, from 1:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., to finish the work.
Throughout this week, the unions had already leaked that on Saturday, June 24, the 19 affected stations would be inoperative. Metro line 1 is the oldest in Madrid, since it entered service in 1919. In its more than 100 years of history, improvements have been made, the last in 2016, when the tunnel was improved and there were also to establish alternate transportation. On that occasion, he also opted for buses that supplied the suburban routes.
In 2022, line 1 made 82 million trips, making it the line with the second highest number of passengers in the entire network, only behind line 6, the circular one. The contract for the complete works amounts to 26 million euros and was divided into several phases. As of the 24th of this month, the execution works of the change of tracks will begin and it will not be possible to use it until almost autumn. In addition, asbestos removal work will be carried out in parallel.
