One of the electoral promises of José Luis MartÃnez-Almeida is now a reality and the first fast bus line in Madrid -with segregated lanes and zero-emission electric vehicles- began operating this Tuesday between Valdebebas, Sanchinarro and the Ramón y Cajal Hospital .
This project, according to the Consistory, will allow the residents of these neighborhoods to connect directly with their reference hospital center in 30 minutes. The service is provided through a 100% electric bus, with high capacity and similar to a modern tram that circulates in a segregated lane with the advantage of traffic light priority.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, an implementation approved by the Regional Transport Consortium, will have a fleet of ten electric buses with a capacity for close to one hundred people each. The frequency of passage is estimated between 10 and 15 minutes throughout the day and the punctuality of the routes is guaranteed by the traffic light priority system implemented and the segregated layout of the lane.
The vehicles assigned to this line have been specially designed to run on roads separated from the rest of the traffic. Through an itinerary made up of eleven intermediate stops in both directions, plus a terminal in Valdebebas and another located next to the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, the first rapid bus line will use a segregated platform from the other traffic lanes.
The peculiarity is that the center of the road is prioritized, whenever possible, to avoid points of conflict with other vehicles. Running through the center and adapting to an itinerary endowed with traffic light priority at intersections, a smoother route will be achieved and travel times will be considerably reduced by traveling at an average commercial speed higher than other conventional EMT lines.
From its head, located in the Antoñete roundabout, next to the Isabel Zendal Hospital, the line runs along the Avenida de las Fuerzas Armadas. On this road there are a total of five stops. It continues its journey along Avenida de Pi y Margall, with four stops, along Calle de Ana de Austria continuing along Avenida de Niceto Alcalá Zamora to, later, continue its journey through conventional routes, without making any more intermediate stops until it reaches its destination, in the vicinity of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital.
The route has a total length of 31 kilometers, of which 19 will run along segregated roads with traffic light priority, and of these, 12 kilometers have already been launched.
In addition to having a connection with the Isabel Zendal Hospital, this first fast bus line will connect with the future Valdebebas interchange. The first service from the head of the Valdebebas is scheduled for 6:35 a.m. and at 7 a.m. from the head of the hospital center on weekdays. The last bus leaves Valdebebas at 11:05 p.m. and from the Ramón y Cajal Hospital at 11:30 p.m. every day of the week.
The new BRT line entails an investment in buses of 5.3 million euros, of which 2 million come from European Next Generation funds, channeled through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
This call is integrated into the 2021 aid program for municipalities for the implementation of low emission zones and the digital and sustainable transformation of urban transport of MITMA. A budget of 12.8 million euros has been provided for the construction of the segregated platform, of which 4 million will go to traffic lights.