Lines with art: Metro Line 10, history in motion

Line 10 of Metro de Madrid (opened in 1961) is a cultural and architectural route that crosses the city from north to south, from Puerta del Sur station to Hospital Infanta Sofía, connecting neighbourhoods and stations full of history and art over 36.5 kilometres. It is also the only one that has both terminals outside the municipality of the Spanish capital. Throughout its 31 stations, it offers users the opportunity to discover murals, emblematic spaces and the evolution of metro since its earliest days. We can't talk about every single work in every station, but we have made a selection of those that are a must 

Colonia Jardín: A Journey to the Past

Colonia Jardín is a station that stands out for its proximity to the historic neighbourhood that gives it its name, a place of inspiration for 20th century urban planners who opted for more open and green spaces. Here, murals and decoration pay tribute to the rural past of this area

Under the title The Four Seasons, Natalia Sánchez Panadero has decorated the station with four screen-printed murals on ceramic, one for each season, symbolising the passing of time as they show how the same landscape changes over the course of a year. The ensemble is inspired by the legend The Pride of the Tree, which describes how a tree challenged the wind and when the wind blew hard it had to shed its leaves to avoid being blown down, which will happen every autumn from then on.

Lago

Lago station dates back to 1961, when the Madrid underground was born, but together with Batán it was refurbished as part of the extension plan completed in 2003 to adapt it to the new gauge of Line 10. The work made it possible to enlarge the lobby, which had previously been limited by the staircase leading to the central station and technical facilities, and to enclose the 128 m2 porch with transparent cladding. On the lobby floor, which currently has a surface area of 286 m2, passengers are greeted by a square Roman-style mosaic, which accompanies the one representing the Metro logo at the entrance to the station.

Chamartín 

This station brings together past and present like no other.  Here you can see the spectacular cascade of lights that decorates Chamartín, called "Iguazú". It enhances the grandeur of this station of unique dimensions. It is the work of Vicente Patón and Alberto Tellería and consists of a 1,000-square-metre panel on a 21-metre-high curved surface that covers three of the station's four levels. Inspired by the light that floods the apses of a cathedral, the incessant movement of the artificial light accompanies passengers as they descend through the different levels of the station.

In addition, Chamartín station hosts a spectacular exhibition of classic Metro trains, which were fully restored for the company's Centenary celebrations in 2019. It includes 12 historic carriages, including the first ones that ran on Line 1 a century ago, and close to 100 historic pieces from the underground’s history, as well as photographs showing the evolution and history of Metro since its beginnings.

Marqués de la Valdavia

The upper mural of the two that make up the artistic ensemble A ras de suelo (At ground level) reproduces in giant format photographs taken at ground level in the Parque de Cataluña. Like the lower mural, the upper piece, visible from the platforms, shows details of the lawn, but incorporates fragments of sky to reinforce the idea of descent into the depths of the station. 

Reyes Católicos

The decoration of Reyes Católicos station, which serves as access to the San Sebastián de los Reyes bullring, is the work of Rodrigo Muñoz Ballester and is dedicated to the world of bullfighting. Under the title Clamor, the author turns the station into a bullring, giving all the limelight to the spectators, whom he has drawn one by one, taking great care with their looks, their postures and their clothing on a surface of 800 square metres. The platforms feature boards around the seating area and as we look upwards, the ensemble melts into a haze of clay-coloured characters.