Madrid Metro

The Madrid Metro is a massive rapid transit system serving Madrid, the capital of Spain.

It provides essential transportation for the entire metropolitan area. The current network is composed of thirteen conventional heavy-rail lines. It also includes three light-rail lines known as Metro Ligero.

The heavy-rail lines cover a combined length of 603 kilometers. This makes the system the 20th longest rapid transit network in the world. It is also the 6th longest system outside of China. Within Europe, it is the 3rd longest, following the London Underground and the Moscow Metro.

The system operates using two distinct methods of travel. The heavy-rail lines consist of large trains that run mostly underground. Interestingly, these trains use left-hand running. This means they operate on the left side of the tracks. Most Spanish road traffic and railways drive on the right. In contrast, the Metro Ligero light-rail lines run on the right. This is because much of the light rail operates at street level.

To help passengers move through the stations, the network uses 1,709 escalators. It also provides 571 lifts to ensure people can reach different levels.

The Metro works as part of a larger, unified transport network.

It is complemented by the Madrid Cercanías suburban rail services. These are managed by the national operator, Renfe. The city also uses urban bus lines operated by EMT Madrid. There are also interurban bus lines that serve areas outside the city. All these different services use a unified fare system. This system is managed by the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid, or CRTM.

This public body is run by a consortium of various local governments.

The history of the Metro began with a royal decree in 1916.

This decree approved a plan for four original lines. Engineers Mendoza, González Echarte, and Otamendi created the initial design. They needed to raise 8 million pesetas to start the first phase. This phase involved building Line 1 from Sol to Cuatro Caminos. The team raised 2.5 million pesetas through public donations. King Alfonso XIII eventually intervened by investing 1.45 million pesetas of his own money.

The first phase was finished in 1919.

On 17 October 1919, King Alfonso XIII inaugurated the system.

At that time, the Metro had only one line with eight stops. The King and the royal family took the first official ride. The trip from Cuatro Caminos to Ríos Rosas took only 40 seconds. They then traveled to Chamberí station, which took 45 seconds. The full journey to Sol took 7 minutes and 46 seconds. On its first day of public operation, the Metro carried 56,220 passengers.

The network has seen massive expansion through different eras. In the 1990s, a major expansion project began. Between 1995 and 2011, the system added 132 new stations. This growth happened in four distinct phases. During this time, the construction pace was among the fastest in the world. In the early 2000s, a huge project installed 100 kilometers of new tunnels. This included the MetroSur project, which is one of Europe's largest civil engineering works.

MetroSur created a loop line connecting five cities: Móstoles, Alcorcón, Leganés, Getafe, and Fuenlabrada.

The scale of the Madrid Metro is truly impressive by modern standards.

In 2024, the system transported a total of 715 million passengers. This makes it the 29th most-used system in the world. It is also the 5th most-used system in Europe. The trains run every day between 06:00 and 01:30. While plans to extend hours were halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Metro has stayed open for 24 hours during special events. This happened during World Pride in 2017 and a major snowstorm in 2021.