The station of the month: La Elipa, on L2
28-02-2023
La Elipa is one of the most emblematic popular neighbourhoods in the capital, in the district of Ciudad Lineal. Originally, it was a settlement for the so-called 'rag-pickers', who went from house to house collecting waste and used objects. With the great expansion that Madrid experienced during the 60s and 70s, this neighbourhood began its modernisation and culturalisation, forming part of the Movida Madrileña in the 80s.
In those years, Burning, the band, referenced it in several songs and the slogan 'La Elipa sí que flipa' (La Elipa is cool) became fashionable. One of the main demands of the residents of this area was for metro to reach their homes.
Finally, at the beginning of the 21st century, at the time of the great suburban extensions, work began to bring Metro to this neighbourhood. Difficulties with the terrain in the area prevented the use of a tunnel boring machine in its construction and the so-called 'screen' (open-cast) method was chosen. This forced traffic to be diverted on the M-30 at the Ventas bridge. Despite the complexity of the work, the residents' wish came true on 16 February 2007, when the La Elipa station on line 2 opened.
Fun fact: Important finds of Miocene macrovertebrates were made during the works. This discovery made it possible to gather information on the evolution of the landscape in the area.
Today, this station, used by more than 2.5 million passengers a year, is fully accessible and has three lifts (one of which opens directly onto the street). It also has seven escalators and a defibrillator.
As for the decoration, there is a mural by Esther García Ocampo paying tribute to women as a source of life and renewal. It is called "Renaissance", a work that represents different races and cultures, taking a journey through the history of art from Egypt to the present day.
This same author has another mural in the station, in one of its corridors. This one reproduces 62 works by great painting masters in which women are the protagonists. It is made of enamelled ceramic panels and also includes the names of famous painters and selected phrases from poets and philosophers.
