Today, the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced that the regional government will designate the Madrid Metro’s collection of historic trains – comprising 14 carriages manufactured between 1919 and 1965 – as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), in the "Movable Heritage" category. She made this announcement during her speech at the State of the Region Debate, where she emphasised that these vehicles preserve the technical, social and cultural heritage of several generations of people from Madrid. 

These include the Cuatro Caminos (1919), Ventas (1924), Quevedo (1927), Salamanca (1943), Legazpi (1956) and the 1000 Series (1965) models. From a historical and technological perspective, each one bears the mark of its era in its structure and provides an insight into the evolution of engineering and its application to Madrid’s public transport system. 

From an aesthetic point of view, its interiors feature wooden benches, glass light fittings and historic signage. Th are examples of industrial design that engage with the architecture of the stations and the urban landscape they helped to shape. 

Furthermore, their documentary and historical value makes them sources of knowledge for studying the materials, building techniques and construction methods used in each period, offering direct access to the past. They also serve as a means of raising awareness and help to preserve the region’s collective memory. 

These trains are part of Metro de Madrid’s "Historic Trains" exhibition, which can be viewed at Chamartín station following their comprehensive restoration to mark the metropolitan railway company’s centenary. The exhibition was opened by King Felipe VI to mark the opening, on 17 October 1919, of the first section of Line 1, between Cuatro Caminos and Sol – a ceremony presided over by his great-grandfather, King Alfonso XIII. 

Metro staff who had the opportunity to carry out maintenance work on these very carriages during their careers have been involved in the recovery of some of the carriages’ components, such as bogies — the structures located beneath the carriages that house the wheels and enable them to run on the tracks — and couplings.