The Madrid Metro (Spanish: Metro de Madrid) is a rapid transit system serving the Spanish city of Madrid and its surrounding metro area. First opened in 1919,[5] the system has regularly undergone numerous extensions over the next century, bringing it to today's network which comprises thirteen "conventional" (heavy-rail) lines and three light-rail lines known as Metro Ligero.[6][7][8] The network is largely owned and operated by Metro de Madrid S.A., a public company owned by the Government of the Community of Madrid.[9]
As of September2025[update], the conventional lines have a combined length of 296.6 kilometres (184.3mi),[1] making Madrid's Metro system the 20th longest rapid transit system in the world, the 6th longest in the world outside of China, and the 3rd longest in Europe behind only the Moscow Metro and the London Underground; the three light-rail lines add a further 27.8 kilometres (17.3mi) to the total length of the network. The whole system transported a total of 715 million passengers in 2024[3] – in this metric Madrid's system stands as the 29th most-used in the world and the 5th most-used in Europe, behind Moscow, Paris, London and Istanbul.
Unlike Spanish road traffic and most railway lines in the country, which drive on the right, trains on the heavy-rail lines of the Madrid Metro have operated with left-hand running since the system's inception. The light-rail part of the network, on the other hand, runs on the right, as much of it operates at street level.
Within the Community of Madrid, the Madrid Metro is complemented by the Madrid Cercanías suburban rail services managed by the national rail operator Renfe, as well as a large network of urban bus lines operated by the city-owned EMT Madrid, and a collection of interurban bus lines that serve municipalities outside of the city's boundaries, managed by the Community of Madrid itself but operated by private companies on a concession basis. All of these networks have a unified fare system, which is managed by the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM), a public body run by a consortium of various local governments of the Community of Madrid.
Trains are in circulation every day from 6:00am until 1:30am,[10] though during the weekends, this schedule was to be extended by one more hour in the morning in 2020. Furthermore, the regional government intended to keep stations opened around the clock during these days from 2023 onwards.[11][12] It had only stayed open for 24 hours during the 2017 World Pride[13] and during the 2021 Madrid snowstorm.[14]
The closed Chamberí station on line 1Metro de Madrid Diesel motors used for generating electricity before the Spanish Civil War, at exhibition in Pacífico Power Plant
1916–1918: conception and financing
On 19 September 1916, a royal decree approved the 4-line plan for the creation of the metro of Madrid. The engineers who created the plan - Mendoza, González Echarte, and Otamendi - then began the process of raising 8 million pesetas to begin the first phase of the project, the construction of Line 1 from Sol to Cuatro Caminos. Carlos Mendoza made contact with Enrique Ocharán, the director of Banco de Vizcaya, who offered 4 million pesetas on the condition that the public pledged an additional 4million.
Mengemor published a brochure to persuade people to make donations. The men were able to raise 2.5million pesetas of the 4million they needed. King Alfonso XIII intervened and invested 1.45million pesetas of his own money.[16]
1919: construction and inauguration
The first phase of construction was finished in 1919. It was constructed in a narrow section and the stations had 60m (200ft) platforms. The enlargement of this line and the construction of two others followed shortly after 1919.[17] The Madrid metro was inaugurated on 17 October 1919 by King Alfonso XIII.[5][18][19][20] At the time of inauguration, the metro had just one line, which ran for 3.48 kilometres (2.16mi) between Puerta del Sol and Cuatro Caminos, with eight stops.[5]
The king, the royal family, and others took part in the first official metro ride which went from Cuatro Caminos to Ríos Rosas and took 40 seconds. There they stopped for one minute, before traveling to the Chamberí station which took 45 seconds. The trip went all the way to the end point, Sol. The king and his family then rode the metro back to Cuatro Caminos from Sol, this time without stopping. The journey took 7 minutes and 46 seconds.[18]
After the journey, a lunch was served on the Cuatro Caminos platform, and the engineers were congratulated for creating a "miracle."[18]
Two days later, on 19 October 1919, the Madrid metro was opened to the public. On its first day, 390 trains ran, 56,220 passengers rode the metro, and the company earned 8,433 pesetas from ticket fares.[21]
During November and December 1919, the metro had an average of 43,537 passengers a day and earned an average of 6,530 pesetas a day from ticket sales. Due to their success, the company decided to expand more, and created 12,000 new shares to sell to the public to raise more funds to fund further expansion.[21]
1920–1921: expansion of Line 1 and construction of Line 2
The Company then began to gather materials necessary to expand the Line 1 from Sol with the new stations Progreso, Antón Martín and finally Atocha. The latter was then and is now an important train station for mainline rail.
On 31 July 1920 the company submitted it proposal to extend Line 1 from Atocha to Puente de Vallecas. In 1921 the company declared its interest in beginning the line from Sol to Ventas, with the first phase of the project being built from Sol to Goya, along Calle Alcalá.
Work began on 27 March 1921 to expand the Line 1 from Atocha to Vallecas, and to begin construction on a line from Sol to Goya.[22]
On 26 December 1921 the Sol-Atocha section of the Line 1 was inaugurated, adding three new metro stops to the line: Progreso, Antón Martín, and Atocha. The king and queen, Don Alfonso XIII and Doña Victoria, attended the inauguration.[23]
1922 and onwards
In 1924, traffic in Madrid switched from driving on the left to driving on the right, but the lines of the Madrid Metro kept operating on the left hand side.[24] In 1936, the network had three lines and a branch line between Ópera and the old Estación del Norte (now Príncipe Pío). All these stations served as air raid shelters during the Spanish Civil War. After the Civil war, the public works to extend the network went on little by little. In 1944, a fourth line was constructed, absorbing the branch of Line 2 between Goya and Diego de León in 1958, a branch that had been intended to be part of Line 4 since its construction but was operated as a branch of Line 2 until construction works had finished.
In the 1960s, a suburban railway was constructed between Plaza de España and Carabanchel, linked to lines 2 (at Noviciado station with a long transfer) and 3. A fifth metro line was constructed as well with narrow sections, but 90 m platforms. Shortly after opening the first section of Line 5, the platforms of Line 1 were enlarged from 60 to 90 m, permanently closing Chamberí station since it was too close to Iglesia (less than 500 m). Chamberí has been closed ever since and was recently[when?] reopened as a museum.[25]
In the early 1970s, the network was greatly expanded to cope with the influx of population and urban sprawl from Madrid's economic boom. New lines were planned with larger 115 m long platforms. Lines 4 and 5 were enlarged as well. In 1979, bad management led to a crisis. Projects that had already started were finished during the 1980s and all remaining ones were abandoned. After all those projects, 100km (62mi) of rail track was completed by 1983[26] and the suburban railway had also disappeared since it had been extended to Alonso Martínez and subsequently converted to the new Line 10.
Typical Madrid metro entrance, designed by Antonio Palacios, at Tribunal station
Expansion from the 1990s
Work on a major expansion of the metro began in 1995, with 172km (107mi) of new line and 132 new stations opened by 2011, built in 4 phases.[27] The average construction pace throughout that era (more than 10km (6mi) of new line per year) was among the fastest in the world at that time and was equalled or surpassed by only very few metros in the global north (one notable example being Seoul Metro) either then or since.
This included the extension of lines 1, 4 and 7 and the construction of a new Line 11 towards the outlying areas of Madrid. Lines 8 and 10 were joined into a longer Line 10 and a new Line 8 was constructed to expand the underground network towards the airport. The enlarged Line 9 was the first to leave the outskirts of Madrid to arrive in Rivas-Vaciamadrid and Arganda del Rey, two satellite towns located in the southeast of Madrid. Control of the network was transferred to a public enterprise, Metro de Madrid S.A.
In the early 2000s, a huge project installed approximately 50km (31mi) of new metro tunnels. This construction included a direct connection between downtown Madrid (Nuevos Ministerios) and the airport, a further extension of Line 8, and adding service to the outskirts with a 40km loop called MetroSur serving Madrid's southern suburbs.
MetroSur, one of the largest ever civil engineering projects in Europe, opened on 11 April 2003. It included 41km (25mi) of tunnel and 28 new stations, with a new interchange station on Line 10, connecting it to the city centre and stations linking to the local train network. Its construction began in June 2000 and the whole loop was completed in less than three years. It connects Getafe, Móstoles, Alcorcón, Fuenlabrada, and Leganés, five towns located in the south of Madrid. As the metro line is part of a project to develop the area, some stations lay in sparsely populated places or were even surrounded by fields at the time of opening.
Most of the efforts of Madrid regional government in 2000s were channeled towards the enlargement of the Metro network. In the 2003–2007 term, President Esperanza Aguirre funded a multibillion-euro project, which added new lines, and joined or extended almost all of the existing metro lines. The project included the addition of 90km (56mi) of railway and the construction of 80 new stations. It brought stations to many districts that had never previously had Metro service (Villaverde, Manoteras, Carabanchel Alto, La Elipa, Pinar de Chamartín) and to the eastern and northern outskirts as well (Coslada, San Fernando de Henares, Alcobendas, San Sebastián de los Reyes). For the first time in Madrid, three interurban light rails (Metro Ligero or ML) lines were built to the western outskirts (Pozuelo de Alarcón, Boadilla del Monte) – mL2 and mL3 – and to the new northern districts of Sanchinarro and Las Tablas – mL1. As a last minute addition, a project on line 8 connected it to the new T4 terminal of Madrid-Barajas Airport.
Since 2008, however, the process of expanding the network has significantly slowed. The 2008 financial crisis stalled many expansion projects that had been in their pending stages at the time, while during the 2010s, improving the existing network was considered a higher priority than enlarging it, with major projects such as the improved accessibility plan being put into place. As a result, while all lines except for the (already circular) line had benefitted from at least some form of extension between 1999 and 2008, during the 2010s only four extension projects were completed: line was taken to La Fortuna in 2010,[28] line 's eastern extension to Las Rosas opened in 2011,[29] and line 's northwestern end was extended further north in two stages: to Mirasierra in 2011 and to Paco de Lucía in 2015.[30]
The network celebrated its 100th anniversary on 17 October 2019. Google commemorated this milestone with a Google Doodle.[31]
In April 2025, line started serving El Casar station in Getafe after a one-station extension from Villaverde Alto was opened, which ended a 10-year-long period without any new line extensions in the city.[32] The station at El Casar forms an interchange with line , giving the latter a second direct interchange with the rest of the Metro network[33][34] (beside the existing connection at Puerta del Sur with line ).
The Metro conventional network has 242 stations on 12 lines plus one branch line, totalling 294 kilometres (183mi),[35] of which approximately 96% of stations are underground.[b] The only surface parts are between Empalme and west of Eugenia de Montijo (); between Lago and north of Casa de Campo (); and between south of Puerta de Arganda and Arganda del Rey (), for a total of 8 aboveground stations. Additionally, some 30km (19mi) of Metro Ligero (light rail) lines across serve the various regions of the metropolitan area which have been deemed not populated enough to justify the extraordinary spending of new Metro lines. Combined, they have 38 stops, of which 4 also connect to the conventional Metro system. Most of the ML track length is on surface, usually running on platforms separated from normal road traffic. However, ML1 line has some underground stretches and stations.
Traditionally, the Madrid metro was restricted to the city proper, but today nearly one third of its track length runs outside the border of the Madrid municipality. Today, the Metro network is divided in six regions:[36]
MetroMadrid (zone A): the core network inside the Madrid city borders, with over two-thirds of the overall length. Also includes light rail line 1.
At most of the borders between the regions, one has to switch trains even when staying in the same line, because the train frequency is higher in the core MetroMadrid than in the outer regions.
Traditionally, the trains operating in the Madrid Metro have been built and supplied by the Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF). This was particularly true under Francisco Franco's dictatorship, due to the politic of autarky his administration initially pursued. However, despite CAF still working for the Metro, in recent years the Italian AnsaldoBreda has also provided trains for the wide-profile lines.
Every rolling unit in the Madrid Metro has a unique ID that singles it out in the whole network. Those IDs are grouped by the rolling unit model (the "series") and thus is used to categorize the trains, as they bear no user-visible statement of the model specified by the manufacturer. An ID is made up of:
A letter indicating the type of rolling unit: M for a car with both engines and driver's cabin (Spanish Motor), R for an engineless car, with or without drivers cabin (Spanish Remolque) and S for a cabinless car with engines (Spanish motor Sin cabina).
A dash separating the two components
A three or four digit number indicating the unit's series and the position within it. Usually, the series is indicated by the thousands and hundreds (i.e. 5281 indicates a series 5000, subseries 200 train).
Trainsets currently in use
Narrow profile
A series 2000-B "bubble" metro train on line at Casa de Campo station.
CAF series 2000: This series has two separate sub-series usually called A and B. The first batch, while reliable and practical, was extremely "box-like" in its looks. They are nicknamed 'Pandas', after a car by Seat with the same name and similar boxy design. In contrast, the B sub-series train sets can be told apart by its sleeker, rounder forms, which has granted them the nickname of "bubble" (burbuja) for their round driver cabin window. Series 2000A are currently the more numerous in the network: 530 cars[f] were built and delivered between 1985 and 1993,[40] having serviced every narrow profile line. They are also among the oldest stock in operation in the Madrid Metro. The most reliable ones are being refurbished and painted with new, lighter colors like the ones used in Series 3000. Series 2000B were delivered in lesser numbers (about 126 cars) between 1997 and 1998,[41] with the inclusion of air conditioning and station announcements through pre-recorded voice messages and LED displays. They are currently used in line 5, with no plans for retirement.
A series 3000 train arriving at Avenida de Guadalajara station on line .
CAF series 3000: The newest of the narrow line trainsets, series 3000 were commissioned for the reopening of line 3 after its complete renewal in the early 2000s. Their constituent subunits can be completely joined through crossable articulations, making it possible to go from the head to the tail without actually exiting the train. This has earned them the nickname of "boa", a term usually applied in Spain to double-length buses with such joints. They are currently servicing lines 2, R, 3, 4 and 5. Series 3000 trains look rather like a narrowed version of series 8000, while the interior uses mainly yellow and light blue tones.
Wide profile
A series 5000 train at Plaza Elíptica station on Line 6, the circular line.
CAF series 5000: Currently servicing line 9 and occasionally line 6, this model has had a long history: the first trainsets were delivered in 1974[42] for the newly opened, first wide-profile line 7, while the latest subseries, 5500, of which 24 trainsets of 6 cars each were built, entered service in 1993.[43] They were the last to use the old, square "box-like" design from CAF, which was already becoming unpopular for its exaggerate priming of effectiveness versus aesthetics. The first iteration featured a wood lookalike coating for the inner walls and a novel seat distribution in two-seat rows perpendicular to the train walls, making them look not unlike older regional trains. Subseries 5100–5200 returned to the traditional seating along the train walls, but still included another feature from the first iteration, automatic opening of all the gates in the train. The final subseries, 5500, has a distinct, darker color scheme and returns to the usual on-demand opening of train gates with a button on each one. Being the oldest rolling stock in operation in the wide profile lines, many cars were retired or sold to the Buenos Aires Underground for operation on Line B to make up for shortfalls on the line following extensions.
A series 6000 train in La Poveda station on line
CAF series 6000: This model, of which 29 trainsets were built and delivered in 1998,[44] was the first by CAF to feature a new, sleeker and rounder design. As it was to serve TFM, the stretch of line 9 connecting Madrid to Arganda del Rey (the first extension of the Metro network outside Madrid proper), its interior resembles the regional Cercanías trains more closely than any other Metro trains: compact seats in couples set perpendicularly to the train walls, more places to grasp in case of a sudden brake/acceleration, etc. They were also the first to include luminous panels stating their destination, as the line they service was effectively split in two stretches, and travellers had to switch trains at Puerta de Arganda. Finally, they primed the "boa train" layout, but the walkable aisle only spanned two cars, while a trainset would usually carry 4 or 6. These trains are equipped with automatic train protection (ATP) and automatic train operation (ATO).[45] Series 6000 is currently doing service on line 9b (TFM). In 2013, 73 of the 108 cars ordered were sold to Buenos Aires for operation on Line B of the metro system; the sale totalled €32.6million for the retirement of Japanese-built units, with a further 13 cars ordered at a later date.[46][47][48][49][50][51][52] These trains have been widely criticised in Argentina, and been called the worst purchase in the history of the Buenos Aires Underground.[53]
A series 7000 train at Batán station on line
Ansaldobreda series 7000 & 9000: The first purchase to a manufacturer other than CAF, and to a non-Spanish dealer, 37 series 7000 trainsets service the extremely busy line 10. They were the first in the network to feature a full "boa" layout, allowing commuters to traverse the whole six cars. They are extremely functional, with ample 1.3m doors and a sleek, unobtrusive design for a total capacity of 1,260 people per trainset (180 seated). This model also features two TV screens in each car, but they are left unused, both regularly or in emergencies. Series 9000 trains are similar to their previous incarnation, but include better accessibility for disabled people and more safety measures, such as visual and auditive warnings for the train gates and more effective emergency brakes, they also brought small aesthetic changes like the removal of the wood effect from the ceiling and the change of the red top stripe of the doors to a blue color. Series 7000 currently service the main part of line 10 from Puerta del Sur to Tres Olivos and occasionally on line 9; while series 9000 comprise the main fleet of line 7 and 12, occasionally on line 10, and on line 9 to cover for the sold 6000s.
A series 8000 train waiting on line at Pinar del Rey station
CAF series 8000: Originally designed for the MetroSur line 12, 45 trainsets were built and delivered by CAF in 2002.[54] Each one is composed of three cars or four cars joined in the "boa" layout, with the three car version servicing line 12 and the four car version servicing line 8 as-is, while line 9 & line 10 services use two such trainsets to form a MRM-MRM configuration for a maximum of 1,070 passengers (144 seated). The interior distribution is rather like that of series 7000, with a bigger clear area (i.e. without seating) in the first car for people carrying luggage to/from the airport and disabled people in wheelchairs. Like the narrower series 3000 trainsets, its bogies are insonorized and feature a hybrid rubber-pneumatic suspension system. Series 8000 primed the introduction of regenerative braking in the Madrid Metro. The system reverses the normal circuit of the electric motors when braking, thus making the deceleration return power to the network. Also, they feature the now-standard informative panels and gate activity warnings in the interior. A second batch was ordered for line 11 to replace the series 3000 operating on the line since the extension of the line to La Fortuna in 2010. The original batch currently services lines 12 and 8, while also providing rush hour support to lines 9 and 10 while the second batch currently services line 11.
A series 8000 train on line
CAF series 8400: Derived from the recent series 8000 trains, the 8400 series are the newest train type to enter service on the Madrid Metro on line 6 since 2010 to complement the older series 5000 serving on that line. It currently services line 6.
Alstom Citadis 302: The vehicles serving the light rail lines are low-floorarticulated trams in a five-section "boa" configuration, which allows for a maximum of about 200 passengers per tram (60 seated). They can reach a top speed of 100km/h (65mph), but in practice, they are limited to 70km/h (45mph) in most track stretches, and even less in urban sprawls. The tram features a bell-like proximity warning that is activated when the train approaches a station or a level crossing with pedestrians, which has given rise to complaints from people living near the tracks because of the noise generated. Safety features also include door activity warnings for passengers and emergency brakes comparatively more effective than in any other train dedicated to Metro service, as the trams, though remaining in their own lanes separated from other traffic, can cross roads and populated areas.
Historic rolling stock
Historic rolling stock of the Madrid Metro.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)
Until the early 1990s and the transfer of the Metro system to the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the rate of investment in the network by the central government was extremely low,[g] and thus very old trains were used way beyond their intended lifespans. Particularly loathed was the case of line 5, which was serviced by the nearly 40-year-old series 300 and 1000 from CAF. It was not uncommon that a child would ride to school on the same train his/her parents took decades earlier. Some renewals, along with the purchases of series 2000A and 5000, were started by the socialist regional government of Joaquín Leguina, but in 1995 the People's Party took over the government with the promise to widely extend and improve the Metro service. New lines were built and old ones refurbished: line 5 service was disturbed for several years as some stations at a time were closed and refitted, while line 3 was closed for two consecutive summers in order to expand its platforms to 90 m. Then, new rolling stock was also requested: 1998 saw the arrival of the first CAF series 2000B, retiring the infamous series 1000. Initially, the better-preserved series 300 were refitted and painted in the new blue-white colour scheme (from the old red corporate image), but they were also retired with the arrival of more series 2000B and, finally, series 3000.
Station design and setup
Lago station in the old Line S (now Line 10) is one of the few surface stations in the Metro network.Alonso Martínez station in Line 4: old stations are often compact, and usually not too deep undergroundGetafe Central in Line 12, with a Cercanías transfer: new stations are built deliberately ample, with several cross-visible levels and elevators for disabled people.Estrella station in Line 9, in the old style.
The age of many Madrid Metro stations is evident by their design: Older stations on the narrow lines are often quite compact, similar to stations of the Paris Metro. They were decorated with tilings in different colour schemes depending on the station similar to the scheme architect Alfred Grenander implemented at Berlin U-Bahn around the same time. In recent years, most of these stations have been refurbished with single-coloured plates matching those in the newest ones, alongside other improvements such as modernized signalling technology and elevators. The stations built between the late 70s and the early 90s are slightly more spacious, with most of them having cream-coloured walls.
On the other hand, the most recent stations are built with space in mind, and have natural-like lighting and ample entryways.[55] The colour scheme varies between stations, using single-colored plates and covering the whole station in light colors. Recently built transfer stations have white walls, but this is not the norm.
Most stations are built with two side platforms, but a handful of them (the busiest transfers) have a central island platform in addition to the side platforms theoretically dedicated to exits. This system was originally used on the Barcelona Metro and is called the Spanish solution. The 12 stations with this setup are:
Two stations have cross-platform interchange arrangement with two island platforms, which allows extremely fast transfers between lines. Both of these stations are on Line , with cross-platform interchanges at Príncipe Pío (with ) and Casa de Campo (with ). On both occasions, Line 10 uses the outside tracks, so passengers unboarding there leave through the "right" side of the train instead of the usual left side.
In addition, 10 stations are built with just one island platform instead of the usual side platforms. These stations are:
Another system is where there is one island platform with one side platform. This system is used in two stations on lines 2 and 4 as termini, and three stations on Lines 7, 9, and 10 where it is required for passengers to change to smaller trains to continue their journeys, normally to towns outside Madrid like Alcobendas or Coslada. This is done so the island platform can be used for passengers to change easily between trains. In the latter three stations, the island platform is equipped with fare gates for tickets to be validated for travel between fare zones. These stations are:
Map of electrification voltages used in the metro and Metro Ligero: brown indicates 600V, green indicates 1,500V, pink indicates 750V
Since 1999 Metro de Madrid has used a patented system for its installations: a solid rail hung from the ceiling of the tunnels, instead of the usual copper or aluminium wire hung from overhead gantries at regular intervals. This type of overhead line is rigid, making it more robust and less prone to failures. Installations outside tunnels are rare, as they require many more support structures compared to traditional wire based overhead lines, making them more expensive to install. This system of rigid overhead power supply is also used in other metro systems. Similar installations exist in some mainline rail tunnels where space is limited, e.g. Leipzig City Tunnel or the lower level of Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
Fares
The Regional Transportation Consortium sells monthly and yearly passes worth unlimited trips within the zone covered on every transportation method ascribed to itTicket machines used on the Madrid Metro.
The Madrid Metro network is split into the six "functional" zones mentioned above. Each one has a "single" ticket (Billete Sencillo), valid for one trip within the zone, and a 10-trip ticket for a comparatively lower price. When crossing zone boundaries, one has to buy a new ticket for the zone being entered. There is also a "combined" ticket, which provides for a single trip between any two points of the network except the Airport stations, which have an additional supplement of €3. All in all, it is possible to go from the airport to any other point of the network for up to €5.00.[56] All tickets are issued on the Tarjeta Transporte Público.
Also, the Consorcio Regional de Transportes (Regional Transportation Consortium) has a division of its own, with geographic zones named A through C2. This body sells monthly and annual passes for unlimited trips within their zone of validity, and also a range of Tourist Passes for 1, 3, 5 or 7 days. All of them are accepted at the Metro stations within their zones, and passengers using a CRT pass do not have to pay the airport supplement.
Name
Valid for
Expires after
Price
Metro Sencillo
MetroMadrid (including ML1), MetroNorte, MetroEste or MetroSur
The metro is operated by its own company, under the Department of Public Works, City Planning, and Transportation of the autonomous community of Madrid. The passage between Puerta de Arganda (Line 9) and Arganda del Rey (Line 9) is operated by Transportes Ferroviarios de Madrid (TFM), while the second and third lines of Metro Ligero are operated by Metro Ligero Oeste (MLO). All of Madrid's rapid transit systems are members of the Consorcio Regional de Transportes, which sells monthly passes for unlimited use of the metro, bus and commuter train networks within the area covered by the pass.
Exhibitions
Some underground stations are large enough to hold public events, such as the three-day fitness festival in May 2011, which attracted 2,600 visitors. Ópera station contains a 200-square-metre archaeological museum.[58]
Various metro stations show contemporary art. The exhibition 100 años de Metro (100 years of Metro) has received more than 27,000 visitors.[59] At Expometro within the Retiro station, multiple exhibitions of modern art have been on display, such as the exhibition by Pablo Sycet, Rafael Arellano, Tono Carbajo, Christian Domec and Julio Juste called The Dream of Madrid, 1986,[60] or "The Passengers" by Daniel Garbade (2000).[61] Both platforms of the station exhibit murals by Antonio Mingote. The Goya station shows works by Francisco Goya (1746–1828) on two murals on the platforms of line 2.[62]
Future
Line extensions
As both the number of trips in the Metro and the number of inhabitants of the Community of Madrid have seen steady increases in recent years,[63] there has been a growing political consensus that further extensions to the network are necessary.
Under construction
A provisional network diagram of the Madrid Metro from 2020, which includes the currently planned extensions of lines and as well as the extension of line which has since opened.
As of September2025[update], there are two network expansion projects under construction confirmed by the operator: a major lengthening of line and a short extension of line .
Extension of line 11
The currently relatively short line is part of a major expansion project that will eventually turn the line into one of the longest on the network, with its northeastern end extended towards the Valdebebas neighbourhood in the northeast corner of the city.[64][65][66][67] The project will open in three secions:
Section 1: the southern section (Plaza Elíptica–Conde de Casal) is already under construction; it will extend the line from its present terminus at Plaza Elíptica by five additional stations: Comillas, Madrid Río (both brand-new stations with no interchange), Palos de la Frontera (interchange with line ), Atocha (intechange with Renfe services to destinations throughout Spain, Madrid's Cercanías services, and Metro line ), and Conde De Casal (interchange with line ).[64] This extension will coincide with the construction of a major bus station at Conde De Casal, giving the line an additional interchange with inter-city bus services.
Section 2: the central section (Conde de Casal–Mar de Cristal) will extend the line towards Mar de Cristal station (interchange with lines and ), with intermediate stations at Vinateros (interchange with line ), La Elipa (interchange with line ), Pueblo Nuevo (interchange with lines and ) and Arturo Soria (interchange with line ). Metro Madrid also includes the possibility of constructing more intermediate stations along this section, although makes no mention of where exactly those would be located.[64]
Section 3: the northern section (Mar de Cristal–Valdebebas Norte) will take the line to its final northern terminus in the new neighbourhood of Valdebebas, with three stations: Ciudad de la Justicia (adjacent to the existing Valdebebas station on the Cercanías network, with which it will form an interchange), Airport Terminal 4 (interchange with line , the Cercanías, and flights from Barajas Airport), and the terminus at Valdebebas Norte (a new station located at the northwestern end of Valdebebas, west of the airport).[64]
The southwestern terminus of the line is also to be moved further west at some point during this project, with a one-stop extension to Cuatro Vientos where it will interchange with line .[64]
As of 2025[update], section 1 of the project is already under construction, with latest estimates that it will open to the public in 2027.[68] The contracts for designing the construction work of sections 2 and 3, as well as the southern extension, were awarded in 2022;[69][70] at the time, the local government was expecting to open section 3 in 2027 as well, but it did not provide an opening date for either section 2 or the Cuatro Vientos route.
The project has earned line its nickname "The Diagonal", as it will run across the whole city from the southwest to the northeast. Metro Madrid claims that this extension will aid in the decentralisation of the city, given that the line will mostly run away from the city centre (except near Atocha). As such, it is expected to relieve the busy lines and (with the former currently handling most out-of-centre traffic, and the latter also running mostly southwest–northeast).[64]
The empty trackbed at Chamartín station, constructed during the station's renovation project, in preparation for line 's extension to the area before it was replaced by the current plan.
This project replaces an earlier proposal which would have instead extended the line along a semi-circular route towards Avenida de la Ilustración, via Atocha, Ascao, Arturo Soria and Chamartín.[71][72] This plan was eventually scrapped in 2020, but not before extra empty platforms were built at Chamartín to accommodate a future extension there. At the southern terminus, some proposals envisaged that the line would instead head south to San Nicasio in Leganés, to connect with line , before the current scheme to Cuatro Vientos was adopted.[73]
Line 5 to Barajas Airport
A single-station extension project is currently underway on line . This line will be extended one stop at its north-eastern end, beyond Alameda de Osuna towards Airport Terminals 1-2-3 station, where it will connect with line and provide another direct link into the city centre for Madrid Barajas Airport.[74][64] Construction of this extension began in 2025 and its planned opening date is in 2028.[75]
Proposals
Nuevo Norte
The Community of Madrid has committed to the construction of a new short metro route from Chamartín station to the new Madrid Nuevo Norte development, with three or four new stations located within the new area. While Metro Madrid has confirmed its plan to construct a route through the area in general, it is still unclear how it will be connected to the rest of the system. Early proposals suggested that this could be a standalone line running only between Chamartín and Nuevo Norte with fully driverless trains,[76] though a map on the official website for the project suggested that the line could operate as a part of the current line ,[77][78] either as a branch line or as the line's new northern route (though in that last case it is unclear what would then happen to the existing section between Chamartín and Hospital Infanta Sofía via Tres Olivos). In May 2025, the Community of Madrid starting exploring the possibility of making the Chamartín–Nuevo Norte route part of line ; under this proposal, the line would cease to serve the section between Chamartín and Pinar de Chamartín stations via Bambú, which would instead be absorbed into line .[79]
Changes to line 9
Unlike the rest of the heavy-rail network, which is wholly owned and operated by Metro Madrid itself, the section of line between Puerta de Arganda and Arganda del Rey is operated on a concession basis by Transportes Ferroviarios de Madrid (TFM), a consortium of Metro Madrid and a handful of private companies. This concession is due to expire in 2029, after which Metro Madrid is expected to assume operating responsibilities of the route. Due to this change of ownership, there have been calls from local residents on the line to eliminate the need to change trains at Puerta de Arganda in favour of through trains between Arganda del Rey and Paco de Lucía, thus unifying line into a true single line. The Minister of the Housing, Transport and Infrastructures of the Community of Madrid, Jorge Rodrigo Domínguez, announced in September 2024 that he intends to introduce these through services.[80] The platforms on the TFM-run section are already long enough to handle the 6-carriage trains that operate on the rest of the line so the work required to allow for such services would be minimal. Despite this, Metro Madrid has not commented on these proposals as of 2025[update]. Due to the much lower catchment area of the TFM route, it is likely that even if such a project were to go ahead, not all trains would continue to Arganda del Rey, with some instead still terminating earlier en route.
At the same time, Metro Madrid has also started work on constructing a new station on the TFM section on the line, between Puerta de Arganda and Rivas Urbanizaciones stations. This new station will serve the new communities of Los Ahijones and Los Berrocales once those are built and is projected to open in 2029,[81][82] thus coinciding with the end of the TFM concession. One unconfirmed proposal, suggested by Jorge Rodrigo Domínguez, involves constructing the station with three or four tracks instead of two;[80] this would either allow some trains to terminate there (if through trains are to operate) or allow the changeover point to be moved from Puerta de Arganda to this new station (if changeovers are to continue as at present).
New trains
In November 2024, Metro Madrid published an announcement that they had ordered 80 new trainsets from Spanish manufacturer CAF, with a total cost of about €950 million.[83] 40 of these trains will be of the broad loading gauge type; these are to be used on line and will be fully driverless – a first for the Madrid Metro.[84] The other half of the order consists of narrower trainsets, which will be semi-automatic and will carry a driver; these sets are destined for line .[83] Both series of trains are expected to enter service on their respective lines from early 2027 and will replace some of the oldest units currently in service, most notably the aging 2000 and 5000 series.[83][84] Meanwhile, the relatively new 8000 series trains presently used on line will be redeployed on other wide-loading-gauge lines, including supporting the extension of line which is due to open around the same time.[84]
In August 2025, Metro Madrid announced an order for eight additional trainsets from CAF for line , bringing the total number of trains destined for the line up to 48.[85]
Platform screen doors and automation
On 2 August 2024, Metro Madrid announced that they plan to have platform screen doors installed at all stations on line .[86] The works are scheduled to begin in June 2025, coinciding with the major track renewal works that had already been planned for the line that year. This project is considered to be the first major step towards the eventual goal of fully driverless operations on the line.[84][87]
Accessibility improvements
As part of its Accessibility Plan Metro Madrid confirmed that they are going to install lifts at several stations throughout the Metro network to allow easier access for people of reduced mobility.[88] Phase 1 of this plan (between 2016 and 2020) envisaged that 17 additional stations would be equipped with lifts,[89] although by 2020 only 11 of those stations were upgraded, plus one more that was not part of the original plan (Sevilla).[90] Phase 2 (2021–2028) is expected to bring step-free access to a further 24 stations,[91] in addition to the 6 that had not received their upgrades in time for Phase 1.[92]
In addition, in line with local policy, all newly built stations must be fully step-free from the start. As a result, the relatively new lines , and are already fully step-free at all its stations. Line is likewise entirely wheelchair-accessible since the line's major upgrade in 2003–2006.[93]
↑ Comprising 241 stations on the heavy-rail network and 38 Metro Ligero stations; 3 stations are part of both networks. The number 276 is obtained if interchange stations are counted as one. If instead all stations are counted by just adding up the number of stations on each line (as is done in most official documents and reports), thus counting interchange stations once per every line they serve, the total number of stations rises to 328. The source gives the number of stations as 302 because it counts interchanges using the latter system, and because 26 stations of the Metro Ligero lines ML2 and ML3 are not included in their corporate reports (since these lines are operated by Metro Ligero Oeste S.A.), even though they are part of the network.
↑ There are 8 out of 231 stations that are not underground, which amounts to just 4% of the total, though the aboveground route length may be longer.
↑ This column denotes the standard platform length on a given line and, therefore, the length of the longest train that can operate on the line. Despite this, there are a handful of stations on some lines that are longer than given, for various reasons. In particular, all stations between La Elipa and Las Rosas (inclusive) on line have platforms of 90 metres in length instead of 60 metres, as does Pinar de Chamartín on line . The platforms at Chamartín on line are 115 metres long instead of 90 metres.
↑ M = engine car with driver's cab (motor); S = engine car without cab (sin cabina); R = trailer car (remolque). A dot (·) between two letters represents lack of passageway between the two carriages; an absence of the dot indicates walk-through carriages. A number in front means that several separate units are coupled up to form one long trainset.
↑ M = engine car with driver's cab (motor); R = trailer car (remolque).
↑ Trainset sizes vary between lines: 90m lines use six cars per train, while 60m lines use only four. Thus the actual number of trains varies between 88 and 132.
↑ A similar case happens as of 2008[update] with the Cercanías commuter network, as the Spanish government is focused on the expansion of the nationwide AVE high-speed network.
↑ Applicable for MetroMadrid, €1.50 for up to 5 stations, €0.10 extra per station, up to €2.00.
↑ "Andén Cero". Metro de Madrid (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2019.
↑ MARÍA JESÚS HERNÁNDEZ (2009). "90 años en Metro". El Mundo (Spain) (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 February 2023. se alcanzaron los 100 kilómetros al abrirse el tramo Plaza Castilla-Herrera Oria (1983)
↑ "Madrid Metro". www.metromadrid.es. Retrieved 5 August 2023. Metro de Madrid has in recent years implemented the most ambitious Expansion Programme in its entire history and the largest known worldwide, in four successive plans (1995–1999, 1999–2003, 2003–2007 and 2007–2011), taking on the rail integration tasks for the planning, design, construction, implementation and operation of a total of 172 new kilometres of network, 132 stations and 7 depots, and the design and commissioning of 795 new cars.
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