Community of Madrid Accelerates €500 Million Metro Line 11 Expansion to Create 33-Kilometre Orbital Rapid Transit Spine

Constructing Madrid's Crucial Diagonal Orbital Transit Axis

MADRID, Community of Madrid — In a monumental leap forward for regional mobility and suburban transit equity, the Regional Government of Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid) and the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid (CRTM) have accelerated heavy civil works on the landmark €500 million diagonal extension of Metro Line 11. Spanning 6.9 kilometres of new subterranean twin-track tunneling between Plaza Elíptica and Conde de Casal, the strategic project represents the first major phase in transforming Line 11 into a 33.5-kilometre orbital mega-line traversing the Spanish capital from southwest to northeast.

Once completed in its entirety, the comprehensive Line 11 corridor will connect Cuatro Vientos in the south directly to Valdebebas and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport in the northeast. The diagonal axis is engineered to dismantle Madrid's traditional radial transit bottlenecks by providing direct orbital connections that bypass overcrowded central transfer hubs at Sol and Atocha, cutting commuter journeys across southern districts by up to 25 minutes.

Civil Engineering Milestones at Comillas and Madrid Río Stations

Construction crews operating under major civil engineering joint ventures are excavating deep diaphragm slurry walls and station box caverns at two brand-new underground stations: Comillas in the Carabanchel district and Madrid Río along the manicured banks of the Manzanares River. The new stations bring rapid underground rail connectivity to densely populated residential neighborhoods that previously relied exclusively on surface bus routes.

Simultaneously, heavy construction is advancing on upgraded multimodal transit interchanges at Palos de la Frontera, linking directly to Metro Line 3; Atocha, delivering seamless subterranean passenger walkways to Spain’s high-speed rail hub and Cercanías commuter network; and Conde de Casal, where contractors are building a massive multi-level underground bus interchange (intercambiador) that will remove thousands of intercity buses from surface streets along the congested A-3 motorway.

High-Capacity Rolling Stock and Advanced CBTC Automation

To support the expanded orbital corridor, Metro de Madrid has ordered modern, high-capacity six-car trainsets manufactured by CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). The trains feature wide, walk-through articulated gangways, low-energy LED ambient illumination, automated passenger counting sensors, and regenerative braking systems that feed recovered electricity back into Madrid's 1,500V DC overhead catenary grid.

The rail line is equipped with advanced Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling, allowing transit dispatchers to operate high-frequency train headways of under three minutes during peak morning and evening travel periods while upholding the highest European rail safety standards.

Driving Regional Decarbonization and Sustainable Growth

Regional infrastructure ministers and municipal leaders emphasized that the expansion of Metro Line 11 is a cornerstone of Madrid's Air Quality and Climate Change Strategy 360. By providing an ultra-fast, zero-emission electric rail alternative for more than 50,000 daily commuters across the southern metropolitan belt, Madrid is curbing highway emissions, alleviating traffic congestion, and solidifying its reputation as a global leader in modern urban public transit.