Madrid Metro is an incredibly important form of public transportation in the Spanish capital. This is a fast means of transportation, which operates without delay and provides large volumes of passenger traffic. The metro in Madrid first began its work in 1919: it was then that the first metro line was launched. Much time has passed since then, during which another twelve lines with left-hand traffic were built. Their total length is about 300 kilometers.
Beginning of the Metro in Madrid
Madrid Metro began its work in October 1919. Then it was one line, consisting of eight stations and having a length of 3.5 kilometers. The first tunnels were extremely compact. So, the length of the paths was not more than 60 meters, and their width reached 1445 millimeters. By 1936, the Madrid Metro already consisted of three lines and had communication with the railway station.
When a civil war was taking place in Spain, metro stations played the role of bomb shelters. The fourth branch was commissioned in 1944, and in the 1960s the Madrid metro already connected the city and the suburbs.
The year 2007 was marked by the fact that three branches of the “light metro” were put into operation. These are high-speed trams running on the surface. Sometimes, when it is necessary to go round cultural sights, they go down underground.
In the subway of the capital of Spain there is a closed ghost station "Chambery". It belongs to the first open line, but in 1966 it came under reconstruction. As a result, she came very close to the neighboring station. It was reopened in the spring of 2008, but already as an underground museum.
Few numbers
The Madrid Metro is second largest in Western Europe after the London Underground. If we consider the whole of Europe, then it takes third place, sacrificing its dimensions of the metro in Moscow. The general scheme has 13 branches, the last of which earned not so long ago. Its metro network in Madrid connects 327 stations. Each year, it transports over 600 million people and owns two radial rings.
The total metro area of Madrid is divided into six compartments. The largest among them is compartment A. This is a feature of the metropolis, occupying about 70% of the total length of the rail. The remaining compartments are South, North, East, West, as well as TFM (suburbs and satellite towns). Each subway line has its own name and color. In the Madrid metro, names are given according to the starting and ending stations.
Between stations the length of the stretch reaches 800 meters. Each train has four to five wagons. In night and less popular trains there are only three of them.
Some interesting facts
There are 145 stations on the metro lines in the capital of Spain. Most of them are equipped with two or three platforms. Rails are located between them. Therefore, if a passenger decides to run into a subway car from another train, which also stands on a different platform, then he will not succeed.
In the morning and evening breaks between the compositions reach a maximum of three minutes. In the daytime or evening, you can expect the arrival of the next train for seven whole minutes.
The Madrid Metro has three types of trains and wagons: a metro car whose doors open automatically. A wagon whose doors are equipped with a lever. If you need to open them, then this lever must be raised. A car in which to open the door you need to press a special button.
There are no escalators in the Madrid subway. Therefore, it doesn’t matter how much you weigh and what your state of health is, whether you are in a hurry or have a lot of time, you will have to walk up and down.
The Madrid metro is the cleanest in the world, despite the fact that it is also the busiest. Here, for cleaning stations and wagons, they use an ecological and state-of-the-art cleaning system.
Modern technologies used in the subway
Not so long ago, in the Madrid metro, automatic line-up and a system that automatically adjusts the speed work on some lines. Now the driver’s work is reduced only to closing and opening doors, sending a train by pressing a special button. The automatic system will do the rest of the work on its own. It is also capable of increasing and even exceeding the speed so that there is no electric braking. When a prohibiting signal is heard, the same automatic system stops the train.
If any malfunctions are detected in the train signaling, the driver must press the corresponding button located on the control panel, and then control the train manually. In this case, the speed of the train will reach a maximum of 20 kilometers per hour.
Fare
Now, many readers will have a logical question: how much does the metro in Madrid cost? Everything is simple here: one trip within the A-zone will cost 1.5 euros. Movement in all other areas costs two euros.
If a person travels frequently by metro, he is advised to buy tickets for 10 trips. Their price is 11.2-12.2 euros depending on the zone.