Madrid Metro Surpasses 50% Completion on €500M Line 11 Expansion as TBM Mayrit Drives Underground Route Toward Palos de la Frontera and Atocha

Madrid's Great 'Diagonal Line' Reaches Crucial Halfway Milestone

MADRID, Community of Madrid — In a transformative infrastructure achievement for the Spanish capital, the Regional Government of the Community of Madrid and municipal transit authority Metro de Madrid have confirmed that the flagship first phase of the Metro Line 11 (Línea 11) expansion has surpassed the 50% overall completion milestone. Carrying an initial capital investment exceeding €500 million, the 7-kilometre subterranean rail extension runs from Plaza Elíptica to Conde de Casal, forging the vital southwest-to-east segment of Madrid's ambitious 'Diagonal Line' rapid transit spine.

The project represents the most extensive expansion of the Madrid underground network in over two decades, delivering high-capacity mass transit to densely populated, historically underserved neighborhoods across the south and east of the metropolis.

TBM 'Mayrit' Carves Subterranean Alignment Beneath Madrid Río

Civil engineering contractors have achieved rapid progress driven by the colossal 1,200-tonne Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) christened 'Mayrit'. The high-precision earth pressure balance shield machine has successfully completed the underground tunneling drive through the brand-new Comillas and Madrid Río stations, carving through complex clay and gypsum strata with advanced laser-guided navigation to safeguard surface buildings.

TBM Mayrit is now methodically boring the technically demanding subterranean alignment toward Palos de la Frontera and the central rail gateway of Atocha. Demonstrating smooth surface coordination, municipal authorities have recently restored normal street traffic along the Paseo de la Infanta Isabel following the successful completion of deep structural shaft excavations near the historic Atocha terminal.

€104 Million Investment for Accessible Stations and Electromechanical Fitouts

Accelerating the transition toward station completions, the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid has formally approved a supplementary €104 million contract package dedicated to station architectural fitouts and electromechanical installations. The investment funds the installation of 29 high-capacity elevators and 60 heavy-duty escalators across the five stations, guaranteeing 100% universal step-free accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility.

Each modern station concourse is being equipped with advanced digital passenger information networks, energy-efficient LED ambient lighting grids, regenerative braking power substations, and computerized ventilation and fire safety systems engineered to the highest European railway standards.

Unlocking Madrid's Greater Transit Connectivity and Regional Decarbonization

Regional infrastructure ministers underscored that Line 11 is engineered to become the definitive circulatory artery of the Madrid metropolitan area. Complemented by the regional government's recent approval of €880.6 million for the northern extension phase—connecting Conde de Casal to Mar de Cristal, IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, and Valdebebas—Line 11 will ultimately form an uninterrupted 33-kilometre diagonal transit corridor linking Cuatro Vientos directly to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

By providing direct interchanges with Metro Lines 1, 3, 6, and 9, as well as Cercanías commuter rail and the high-speed AVE train network at Atocha, the completed Line 11 will redistribute commuter flows away from congested downtown junctions, removing an estimated 17,000 vehicles daily from Madrid’s roads and eliminating over 8,000 tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions.