Metrosur – Commuting in the 21St Century

Foreword

Metrosur – Commuting in the 21st Century

adrid Metro has come a long way since the first 4 km-long line was opened in 1919. Over the following 75 years, inaugurations of new lines and extensions took Mthe system to 120 km in length. Then, in a rapid expansion programme between 1995 and 1999, another 56 km of lines with 38 stations were added. The existing lines 1, 4, 7, 9 and 10 were extended, and two new lines were started. Line 11 was commenced at the Plaza Eliptica interchange with line 6, and the very important line 8 connection was made between line 4 at Mar de Cristal and Barajas international airport. The latter is now being extended into the centre of Madrid to Nuevos Ministerios, where an airline check-in facility is being built as part of a major transport interchange between metro, suburban rail- way, taxi and bus services. Very soon it will be possible to get from Madrid city centre to the airport in 20 minutes, without the encumbrance of baggage. During the 1995-1999 expansion, Madrid successfully established its position as the metro tunnelling capital of the world. Nowhere else have so many stations and tunnels been added to a system so efficiently, quickly, and frugally. The cost per linear kilometre of the Madrid Metro expansion, including rolling stock, came to just $30.3 million. Compare this with, say, Paris Meteor at $155 million, or London Jubilee Line Extension at a whopping $375 million! The government and population were suitably impressed, resulting in a general air of confidence in the capability of Madrid Metro to provide a first rate underground transportation system. Public support was also secured for the plan to join together five towns to the south west of the city by a 40.5 km-long underground circle line with 27 stations. This new line 12, or Metrosur as it is popularly known, will be connected into the Madrid metro system by an 8 km-long extension of line 10, which is also being upgraded to take new, high-capacity rolling stock. The great advantage of building Metrosur at this stage, is that the five towns involved are still under development. This makes for easier routing through their centres, and better station location. While the population is well attuned to construction work, wherever possible, the metro construction portals are located away from residential areas, reducing noise and dust pollution, and accelerating work on a 24 h/7 day cycle. Fast-track construction makes the population more tolerant, not just because any nuisance will be out of the way quickly, but also because the benefits will be realised within a quantifiable time span. The towns themselves are already significant in size, having expanded from villages over the last 20 years. Alcorcón already has 144,000 inhabitants, Móstoles has 197,000, Fuenlabrada has 175,000, Getafe has 148,000, and Leganés has 180,000. Metrosur, apart from linking all five towns together, will also interchange with suburban railway stations, bus termini, hospitals, universities and shopping centres. The extension of line 10 south- wards to Alcorcón to connect with Metrosur will provide residents with a fast metro route to the heart of the city. The young populations of the five towns have seen the values of their properties multiply with the construction of Metrosur, and already anticipate an improvement in their quality of life with its completion. Not only will the new line reduce the duration of their daily trip to work, it will also bind their communities together, giving them a fast, secure and dependable direct link with civic, educational, medical and social amenities. It is a spur to commercial development that will help transform the area from a dormitory into a dynamic new suburb of the capital. There is no doubt that Metrosur will become the yardstick for future new underground systems. It has a supportive public, a proven design and construction team, top class equip- ment, and responsible political direction. However, it still takes dedication, skill and resilience to bring such major schemes to fruition. Comunidad de Madrid, which provides transportation infrastructure for the Spanish capital, holds the following caveats: project decisions within 24 h; direct accountability and responsibility; safe construction techniques; early anticipation of problems; continuous cost control; and powerful equipment. This, surely, is the recipe for Commuting in the 21st Century! Mike Smith, Madrid, September 2001

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