Metro de Madrid

Visiting hours
Tuesday-Friday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Mondays closed
Free entry: Free access until capacity filled
Guided tour bookings for groups 913 920 693

Andén 0 has two centres: one at the Engine Shed at calle Valderribas, 49, and another one at the old Chamberí Station.

Its opening emphasises the public’s firm support for the restoration and enhancement of the technological and industrial heritage of the city.

Andén 0 is the result of a collaboration agreement between the Council and Metro and allows the public to immerse itself in the history of the metropolitan railway in Madrid and in the history of the actual city of Madrid, to which it is closely linked. The period reflected covers the first years of the 20th century, in which the Metro radically transformed the city by modifying the centre-periphery relationship, up until the present day, when the underground has gone far beyond the municipal limits. The Interpretation Centre explains how the birth and consolidation of the Metro, a paradigm of urban modernity, meant a major change, not just to the customs of the inhabitants of Madrid, but also to the actual social structure of the city .

Aspects related to the general history of transport are also displayed, the relationship between the underground and the city, technology and its evolution, engineering, advertising aesthetics or design.

It also aims to add an educational approach through reconstruction, audiovisual installations, display panels and a wide range of resources that make a visit to ANDÉN 0 a pleasurable and participatory activity. Visits to both centres will be free and will have cultural and educational activities aimed at children and families.

This initiative by Madrid Council contributes to the restoration and enhancement of the technological and industrial heritage of the city, since the two sites of the Centre are located in areas designed by the famous architect Antonio Palacios, of unquestionable historic value. Both the Pacífico Engine Shed and Chamberí Station represent two of the most unusual places in Madrid.

Pacífico Engine Shed

The Pacífico Engine Shed was built between 1922 and 1923 and started operating that very year, although it was opened in 1924. Housed inside are three impressive diesel engines and the rest of the machinery (alternators, dynamos, etc.) used at the time to generate and transform the energy used to power trains. During the Civil War, and due to restrictions, it even provided electricity to the city via the Unión Eléctrica Madrileña power company. Over time, and as companies became able to ensure an increasingly regular supply, the Power Station, which was in its day the largest installed in Spain, became obsolete and ceased to generate power in the 50s, being finally closed in 1972.

The building, by Antonio Palacios, stands out for the clarity of its design, the attention to detail and the good construction, which are characteristic of all the work of one of the main architects of the city‘s image in the first half of the 20th century. The maintenance and conservation work undertaken, according to the project by the architect Carlos Puente, have given the building back its original appearance, both externally and internally, and have been accompanied by cleaning and restoration of the machinery.

Thanks to these measures, and with the support of display and museographic objects, the power station will be restored for the public just as it was originally conceived.

Chamberí Station

The former station of Chamberí belongs to the first Metro Line opened in Madrid in 1919, which had eight stations: Cuatro Caminos, Ríos Rosas, Martínez Campos (glorieta de Iglesia), Chamberí, Glorieta de Bilbao, Hospicio (Tribunal), Red de San Luis (Gran Vía) and Puerta del Sol. At the beginning of the 60s the Metropolitan Company decided to increase the length of trains and, faced with the impossibility of lengthening this station, they closed it. It was finally closed on 22 May 1966.

The design, also by Antonio Palacios, chose a functional solution that was very simple with respect to distances and organisation, and with very simple finishing. It included natural light by means of a glass concourse roof. He chose a ceramic covering inside with matching ornamental items. The station arch is covered with white bevelled tiles and its columns were decorated by great panels of Seville style tiles which border onto the edge of the advertising displays, also ceramic, with ochre and blue edging. These advertising displays are one of the main attractions of the station, since they have been preserved practically as they were created in the 20s.

To facilitate access to people with disabilities a new access has been built with adapted accessibility measures. The new access restoration and construction project is the work of the architects Pau Soler and Miguel Rodríguez.

Further information:
Metro de Madrid Customer Service 902 444 403
010 Líneamadrid
www.esmadrid.es