Díaz Ayuso announces that modernisation work on the Santiago Bernabéu Metro station will begin at the end of 2023

The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced today that work to modernise the Santiago Bernabéu Metro station will begin at the end of 2023. This is what he said after signing a protocol with the president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, Florentino Pérez, with the aim of collaborating in the future renovation and theming of this space on Line 10, which will be fully accessible, more spacious and equipped with the latest technologies.

 “The Community of Madrid and Real Madrid are once again joining forces to ensure that this Metro station is on a par with one of the best stadiums, the Temple, where the best team in the world plays”, said the President, stressing that the aim is for it to be “more modern, have more capacity and be better prepared and barrier-free, especially in the surrounding area, for people with reduced mobility.

The agreement will also make it possible to coordinate and harmonise the execution of the works with those of the Real Madrid stadium and with the urban development works to be undertaken by the club in the area surrounding Plaza de Lima, the parking project, currently at the public information stage, and the new cycle lane on the Castellana, therefore guaranteeing the shared objective of causing the least possible inconvenience to users and citizens.

The work on the underground, included in the 2021/28 Accessibility and Inclusion Plan, will enable the installation of lifts and complementary measures to facilitate transport for all passengers. The architectural finishes and infrastructure of the station will also be modernised, and all the technology of Station 4.0 will be installed, with new entrance turnstiles and state-of-the-art ticket vending machines.

In addition, the regional executive will triple the current surface area, providing it with a design that will allow it to better respond to the influx of passengers, especially on match days and other cultural, leisure and entertainment events.

In 2021, there were more than 2.3 million admissions to Santiago Bernabéu station, with an average of almost 10,500 users on weekdays, rising to 17,000 on match days. The figures were even higher before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, 4.6 million tickets were counted, while a single match day could reach 27,000.

100% ACCESSIBLE STATION

Specifically, the works plan to transform the large, narrow corridors into a large concourse from which the intermediate levels and the platforms themselves can be seen. An access with four escalators will be created from the north side in front of the stadium, leading to a new concourse. At the same time, a branch line will be built in the southern area, which will connect with the existing ones.

From this entrance it will be possible to descend via eight escalators to the intermediate level footbridge, and via another six to each of the station platforms, which will also significantly increase the station's capacity.

In the northern area, the passage to the Paseo De La Castellana Pares, in front of the Bernabéu, will be removed as it will no longer be functional due to the proximity of the new access created in front of the stadium, with the construction of a pavilion that will protect the escalator block from the inclemency of the weather.

In addition, two lifts will be put into service in each of the two entrances to the new concourse, and four lifts per platform to access each of the two platforms from the hall to each of the two platforms. In total, the station will be equipped with up to 24 escalators and 12 lifts.

THEMING OF THE FUTURE STATION

The Metro stop has had a close relationship with the Madrid stadium since its origins. Although it was inaugurated in 1982 under the name of Lima station, it was renamed Santiago Bernabéu on 23 January 1998 - –the emblematic president in the history of Real Madrid -, given that a good number of the users who use it have their destination or point of departure there.

For this reason, among the actions envisaged in the protocol is the sharing of ideas for the theming of the new station, so that it reflects the particular relationship with the Real Madrid stadium, a sporting reference point in the capital and a major tourist attraction.