The Community of Madrid will extend the latest generation turnstiles and ticket machines at Gran Vía to 137 other Metro stations.

The Community of Madrid will extend the latest generation of Metro ticket vending machines and turnstiles installed at Gran Vía station to a total of 137 stations on the network. The Councillor for Transport and Infrastructures, David Pérez, announced this project after visiting the infrastructure today on the occasion of the first anniversary of its reopening, following a comprehensive refurbishment, and a process that will be implemented between 2023 and 2029.

The installation of the equipment will be carried out gradually. Over the next three years, they are expected to be implemented at 51 stops on lines 1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12. Between 2026 and 2027 they will reach another 27 on lines 1 and 2; by 2028 there will be 26 on 4 and 5 and, a year later, 33 on 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11. In this way, almost half of the Metro network will be equipped with these devices by the end of 2029.

In the specific case of Gran Vía station, it has 14 ticket vending machines, whose 4.0 technology offers a new design and more efficient features. These units have large display screens and interface, and offer contactless payment and customer service via video calls.

In addition, there are 17 validation control devices (turnstiles), six of which will be adapted for people with reduced mobility, distributed across two concourses. These models take up less space, have more intuitive displays and inform the user about the approval of the ticket using graphics and text. They also have LED lighting on the doors, the contactless reader and the floor to inform the passenger about the admission result.

These devices, which will now be extended to 137 stations on the network, have brought major improvements in terms of accessibility and passenger information and made Gran Vía the most modern station on the Madrid underground.

In addition, the new station access control systems received one of the Transport Ticketing Awards 2022 at an event held a fortnight ago in London. This is the second award in the Ticketing Technology of the Year category, which recognises Metro's turnstiles as being among the most innovative in the world, during the world's largest trade fair for sales and toll technology.

The Regional Minister also presented the results of the station evaluation survey that the company carried out among its users during the months of April and May. They gave an average of almost outstanding, 8.5 out of 10. 89.6% of respondents consider the modernisation and accessibility works carried out to be very positive. The most highly rated aspects are the re-creation of the pavilion designed by the architect Antonio Palacios, the museum space inside the station and its architecture.

From its reopening to this past June, nearly 14.5 million passengers used the Gran Vía station, with the peak number of users occurring at weekends, especially on Saturdays.

ONE YEAR ON FROM THE NEW GRAN VÍA STATION

Gran Vía station was reopened a year ago, after a total refurbishment of its facilities. Four new lifts, a concourse that connects directly, without the need to go up to street level, with the Sol suburban station and all the technological advances (lighting, screens, new turnstiles and ticket machines) make Gran Vía a flagship station.

Its futuristic aesthetic is combined with elements from the past recovered for the user, such as the ceramic mural installed in the lobby and the museum space containing the archaeological remains found during the works.

One of the most characteristic elements is the reproduction of the emblematic pavilion designed by the architect Antonio Palacios, which originally gave access to the interior of the underground facilities. The great canopy will be built with glass and steel and will be completely translucent, allowing light to filter in through the lift shaft. A semicircular arch crowns the building with the coat of arms of the city of Madrid, hand-carved in stone.

Gran Vía was one of the first eight stations that Metro de Madrid had when it was opened in October 1919 by King Alfonso XIII. Its original name, in 1919 and 1920, was Red de San Luis, before being changed to its current name. However, during the Franco era, it was given the name of José Antonio, and was renamed Gran Vía in 1984.