History
2003-07
The most ambitious Expansion Plan in the history of Metro de Madrid
During the 2003-2007 term of office, the Regional Government of Madrid carried out the largest Expansion Plan in the Metro 's history. This extension consists in the construction of 59.08 km of Metro lines, 27.77 km of lines for Light Railway There are 81 stations.
The scope of the actions, as can be seen in the plan showing the compete works, has taken the
Metro to those districts in the municipality that lacked this service. Specifically, the
inhabitants in La Elipa, Hortaleza, Pinar de Chamartín, Alameda de Osuna, Montecarmelo
and Carabanchel Alto have benefited from the expansion of existing lines and the creation of
new stations on lines already in service. Furthermore, a series of works included in this Expansion
Plan have been brought forward due to the demands of new city developments, both in the north of
the capital (Sanchinarro and Las Tablas, for Light Railway) and in the south (the Ensanche de
Vallecas).
Furthermore, the Metropolitan Network has now been extended beyond the city limits of Madrid,
through MetroNorte, which takes the Metro to the municipalities of Alcobendas and San Sebastian de
los Reyes; MetroEste, which will extend the service towards the Corredor de Henares to San Fernando
and Coslada; and the new Light Railway, which will run to Pozuelo de Alarcón and Boadilla del
Monte, and will not be operated by Metro de Madrid S.A. With the incorporation of these extensions,
Metro's network can now be considered as having regional scope.
An innovative feature worthy of mention in the present Metro de Madrid Expansion Plan is the
incorporation of the Light Railway, a means of transport that is very popular in other European
countries; it is a flexible, convenient and accessible system that is extremely user-friendly.
The Light Railway runs to the north area of Madrid, to the new urban development areas of
Sanchinarro and Las Tablas; as well as linking the capital with the municipalities of Boadilla del
Monte and Pozuelo de Alarcón, in the western area of the Community of Madrid. Also worthy of
mention is the connection of Metro's Line 8 with the new T-4 airport terminal, which will be run by
an independent company as a concession and will provide a rapid link to the business centre of
Madrid.
In the last twelve years, Metro de Madrid has grown in an unprecedented fashion, almost
tripling the length of its network and doubling the number of stations.
The 2003-2007 Metro de Madrid Expansion Plan for the Community of Madrid constitutes an
extremely influential programme which diversifies the network, providing it with a backbone
structure and extending it, on many occasions, beyond the municipal boundaries. With its
implementation, it represents a qualitative step forward that greatly improves mobility within the
city and the quality of life within the region, which advances day by day towards higher levels of
well-being.
