Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) will allocate 2.1 million to restore five historic metro cars. The action is part of the celebration of the centenary of the inauguration of the first line of the Barcelona Metropolitan Railway. This line was inaugurated on December 30, 1924 with four stations: Lesseps, Diagonal, Aragó (current Passeig de Gràcia) and Catalunya.
Specifically, TMB has put out to tender the work to restore five cars of the historic trains of the series 100, 300, 400, 1100 and 3000. The intervention has the approval of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat as some of the vehicles are cultural assets of national interest.
In the convoys, action will be taken both outside and inside. In addition to a deep cleaning, the pavement, frames, doors and windows, among other elements, will be repaired. Lighting will also be restored in the passenger and cabin areas. On the outside, the damage to the sheet metal will be fixed and its original color will be recovered with vinyl.
The work will also include the removal of asbestos present in some of the cars. On the other hand, a staircase and a ramp will be built for each of the vehicles to make them accessible to visitors and to comply with current accessibility regulations.
The rehabilitation will allow the carriages to be in “condition” to be exhibited as part of the events that are being prepared for the centenary of the Barcelona metro and that will be announced soon, TMB sources add. “This performance is an example of the company’s commitment to the historical heritage of public transport,” highlighted Laia Bonet, the president of TMB.
