The Community of Madrid invests more than €100 million in platform screen doors for the automation of Metro Line 6
The metropolitan public transport company will shortly publish the tender approved today by the Executive Committee. They will be placed on the 70 platforms and will total 6.4 kilometres in length in works scheduled for next summer. They will be transparent, constructed with elements to prevent vandalism and also anti-trapping. The new system will increase safety and transport capacity and enable faster entry into stations
The Community of Madrid will invest €100.7 million in the installation of platform screen doors in all stations on Metro line 6 as part of its automation process in this public transport system. The metropolitan company will put this contract, which was approved today in the Executive Committee, out to public tender in the next few days.
This is a crucial element to make it the first underground line to introduce automation. The Regional Ministry for Housing, Transport and Infrastructure chose L6 because it is the most used of the entire network, with more than 90 million trips recorded in the first six months of the year.
In total, work will be carried out on 70 platforms, totalling 6.4 kilometres, with the aim of separating the passenger waiting area from the train circulation area with these doors, guaranteeing safe and orderly entry to the vehicle. They shall be transparent in order to be visible at all times and provide a greater sense of spaciousness.
From an operational point of view, it will make it possible to increase the regularity of the service and transport capacity, avoiding delays for users and increasing the speed of arrival of carriages to put one in circulation every two minutes. In addition, it shall ensure that unauthorised access to tunnels is blocked and preserve the cleanliness of the track area.
The contract for the work will be awarded in the last quarter of this year and the work is scheduled to begin in June, together with the comprehensive renovation of the track, which will enable the trains to run automatically.
Metro de Madrid undertook an in-depth market study and an exhaustive analysis of the characteristics and needs of passengers, with the aim of choosing the best solution, which has finally resulted in a conceptual design with significant advantages in terms of accessibility and customer information.
IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE PASSENGER
The installation will show the status of each of the entrances by means of different colours, making it easier for users to know where to stand in order to gain correct access. They will also have screen printing, security bars and anti-jamming elements and will be constructed with anti-vandalism components.
This new system provides benefits beyond speed, with integrated LED displays with useful communications and understandable and visible feedback, improving the connection when accessing the carriage. They will be at the top of the infrastructure and the information offered will range from the waiting time for the next trains to a map of
Metro or incident reports. These platform screen doors are a complex piece of equipment that will involve not only the physical construction and location, but also intervention in the railway signalling and power installations of the line, as well as in the testing and communications with the Control Centre.
