Regional Government of Madrid highlights commitment of Metro to accessibility in the presentation of the ONCE coupon commemorating its centenary

The ONCE coupon on Thursday, 17 October will commemorate the centenary of Metro de Madrid, the public enterprise of the Region of Madrid that celebrates 100 years of existence on the same day. At the event to present the coupon, held on Platform 0 (the ‘ghost station’ of Chamberí), the Regional Councillor for Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure of Madrid and Chairman of Metro de Madrid, Ángel Garrido, highlighted the accessibility and inclusion plans being implemented by the Madrid underground.

Ángel Garrido, who was accompanied by the President of the Regional Council of ONCE in Madrid, María Teresa Rodríguez Peco, and by the Regional Delegate, Luis Natalio Royo, recalled that the Metro de Madrid Accessibility and Inclusion Plan 2016-2020 provides for 73% of the network to be accessible by next year.

A CENTURY OF SERVICE

On 17 October, 5 million coupons, commemorating the centenary of the first Metro de Madrid journey will be made available throughout Spain.  The illustration on this coupon is a snapshot from the 1920s of a classic train running at the depot in Cuatro Caminos. The coupon also shows the logotype of the centenary of Metro and a phrase that reads: ‘100 years of Metro de Madrid 1919-2019’.

Through this lottery, Metro de Madrid has found a way of taking part in this celebration, which is key for the company and for the history of Madrid, and for all the people of Spain, not just those of Madrid. Accordingly, the coupon will be sold throughout the country.

This is not the first time that Metro and ONCE have collaborated: on the 95th anniversary of the company, a similar initiative was carried out. Back then, the coupon ran the slogan “Almost a century of service’. And last year, a similar tribute was paid with a National Lottery coupon on 15 December, commemorating the centenary of Metro de Madrid.

Ángel Garrido recalled that in 1939, 20 years after the first Metro journey, the first ONCE lottery draw was made. “There are many things that unite Metro and ONCE: they are both highly valued by citizens, they both play an important social function and are both fans of accessibility”, stated Ángel Garrido.

A YEAR OF CELEBRATIONS

This initiative is just one of many activities being put on by Metro de Madrid on the occasion of its centenary. These events kicked off on 17 October with the inauguration of the permanent exhibition of classic trains in Chamartín station. This station also hosts another exhibition entitled ‘Underground portraits’, made up of a series of photos of famous figures from the world of culture, communication and sport, who pay their own tributes to Metro de Madrid.

Over recent months, other displays have been put on show, such as the ‘Centenary Line’, a permanent exhibition at the stations on the original line from Cuatro Caminos to Sol (line 1). In addition, the Aeropuerto T1 - T2 - T3 station is also displaying a sample of 35 photos of large dimensions installed on the platforms and in the entrance halls.

The exhibition entitled ‘100 years of Metro’, organised by the underground for two months in the Engine Shed, allowed visitors to see the origins of the public enterprise belonging to the Region of Madrid. Similarly, more than 2,100 runners took part in the ‘Centenary Race’, held on 3 February, in which participants could run oat street level above the original Metro line, which covered the journey from Cuatro Caminos to Sol.

Among the initiatives implemented to celebrate the centenary is the Centenary Book of Metro de Madrid, a multimedia, interactive work, a graphic and visual tale of a century of history of the underground and of the people of Madrid, through texts, photos, infographics, along with access to audios and videos.