- Three new stations will be built and two existing stations will be upgraded
- The project, for Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, includes extending a tunnel by 4 km
- About 19.5 million users expected to benefit each year
Ferrovial, in consortium with Sacyr, Copisa and Copcisa, has been engaged to extend the Llobregat-Anoia line of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) commuter rail system in Barcelona. The contract, awarded by the Catalonia Regional Government’s Territory Department, is worth €300 million. The work includes building a 4-kilometer tunnel and three new stations, as well as upgrading two existing stations.
The goal of the project is to improve and expand public transport coverage in a densely populated area of Barcelona by connecting several key facilities such as Hospital Clínic and the industrial engineering school. The project is expected to benefit 19.5 million users per year once it is completed.
The work will begin at the end of this summer and must be completed within five years. The Llobregat-Anoia line extension project will connect the FGC Vallès and Baix Llobregat-Anoia lines, improving service and cutting transit time by an average of 4.5 minutes by avoiding the need to change trains. It will also create opportunities for interconnections as the new stations will provide connections with Barcelona Metro line 5, the light rail system and other FGC lines.
The lines will be connected via a new 4-kilometer twin-track tunnel to be built with a tunnel boring machine. The project also includes building two emergency exits, one at the intersection of Consell de Cent and Comte Urgell streets and the second at the intersection of Muntaner and Mariá Cubí streets.
Additionally, three new stations will be built on the new section of line: Hospital Clínic, Francesc Macià and Gràcia. The Gràcia and Plaça Espanya stations will be upgraded. The latter is the terminus of the Llobregat-Anoia line and forms part of one of Barcelona’s main transit interchanges, where several FGC lines and Barcelona Metro lines 1 and 3 converge. The planned work includes upgrading Plaça Espanya station by extending two of its four tracks, expanding the vestibule and reconfiguring accesses and connections between levels.
Over 13,500 homes, premises and parking garages will be inspected before tunnel boring work commences.
