Metro Museums
The arrival of the underground system to Madrid meant a radical change for the city in early 20th century. Today, the underground system continues to impact the social, cultural and economic structures in the region.
METRO MUSEUM, the name given to our underground museums will take visitors through the history of this revolutionary means of transport for the city of Madrid. It has three different spaces of undeniable historical value designed by the famous architect Antonio Palacios: the Pacífico Power Plant and ticket hall and Chamberí Station. In addition, Carpetana and Ópera Stations will take us on completely different journeys to the old Madrid and even to the Madrid of millions of years ago.
- POWER PLANT
- Chamberí Station
- Chamartín Station
- Los caños del Peral
- Carpetana Station
- Pacífico Station
Pacífico Power Plant
Valderribas, 49, Madrid.
Free entry by booking in advance on museosmetromadrid.es
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An Impressive Plant
The Pacífico Power Plant was built between 1922 and 1923 and restored in 2008. Its original look has been preserved.
In this impressive plant are three huge diesel engines and other machinery (alternators, transformers, etc.), which back in the day used to transform the energy used by the trains.
During the Spanish Civil War and due to restrictions, it was used to supply power to the city through the company Unión Eléctrica Madrileña (Madrid Electric Union). Over time, as companies were able to assure an ever more regular power supply, the Power Plant, which used to have the highest installed capacity in Spain, became obsolete and stopped generating power in the 50s and was closed permanently in 1972.
The building stands out due to its clear design, attention to detail and good execution, which is typical across the works of one of the great craftsmen who shaped Madrid in the first half of the 20th century, Antonio Palacios. Maintenance and preservation works under the project of architect Carlos Puente, have brought back the original look of the Plant, in the inside and outside. Cleaning and machinery restoration have also taken place.
It's been thanks to these works and the support of exhibits and museum items that the Plant has been restored to the public just as it was designed.
Chamberí Ghost Station: This was Madrid in the middle of last century
Plaza Chamberí, s/n, Madrid.
Free entry by booking in advance on museosmetromadrid.es
By only walking down a few steps into Chamberí Station, it feels like being back in the Madrid of the 50s and 60s. The old Chamberí Station was part of the first Metro Line that opened in Madrid in 1919 with eight stations: Cuatro Caminos, Ríos Rosas, Martínez Campos, (Iglesia), Chamberí, Bilbao, Tribunal, Gran Vía and Sol. In the early 60s, the Compañía Metropolitana made the decision to increase the lengths of trains and since it was not possible for them to make the station bigger, they had to close it. The station was permanently closed on 22 May 1966.
The same designer, Antonio Palacios, also opted for a very simple functional solution for structural routes and organisation, as well as plain finishes. The use of natural light was achieved by a skylight in the ticket hall. Ornamental ceramics were used to cover the interior. The station vault was clad with white bevelled tiling and its abutments were decorated with large square Sevillian-style tiles, limiting the edges of the advertising posters, also made of ceramic, and coated in ochre and blue. These advertising posters are one of the main highlights of the station, as they are preserved practically as they were created in the 20s.
In order to facilitate the access to people with disabilities, the facilities have been fitted with accessibility features. Pau Soler and Miguel Rodríguez are the architects in charge for the restoration and new access works.
Classic train exhibition in Chamartín station
Chamartín station (lines 1 and 10). Calle Agustín de Foxá s/n.
Free entry by booking in advance on museosmetromadrid.es.
Chamartín station hosts an exhibition of classic underground trains that have been fully restored to celebrate the company’s centenary. The display, inaugurated by King Felipe VI, contains 12 historical carriages, including the first trains that ran 100 years ago on line 1. In addition to the trains, the exhibition also contains close to 100 historical items from the underground system. Entry is free of charge for Metro passengers.
Los Caños del Peral. The largest underground archaeological museum in Madrid.
Free entry by booking in advance on museosmetromadrid.es.
Opera Station (Lines 2, 5 and Ramal). Plaza Isabel II, 1.
Opera Station has the largest underground archaeological museum in Madrid, covering 200 m2. It contains archaeological remains from the 16th and 17th centuries from the fountain Fuente de los Caños del Peral, the aqueduct Acueducto de Amaniel and the sewer Alcantarilla del Arenal.
Interesting Facts
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In early 16th century, water was not supplied into the homes of Madrid, despite water being an essential element for the development of the city. Instead, the supply was provided by wells and fountains installed in the squares, as well as next to gates and walls. In the Early Modern Age, public fountains replaced wells, and it's some of these fountains that we can see today in Opera.
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The Fuente de los Caños del Peral had six outlets and a basin for each of them. The water was coming from the hard water spring from the small square at Los Caños.
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The Acueducto de Amaniel goes back to beginning of the 17th century. It started in current Dehesa la Villa and provided water to the Royal Palace.
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The Alcantarilla del Arenal was the solution to the evacuation of dirty waters. It was a canalisation flowing into the Stream Leganitos, somewhere on the current Cuesta de San Vicente.
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These hydraulic items take all visitors on a history journey. They will also be able to visit the audiovisual room to learn more details about the ancient exhibits.
Palaeontological Remains at Carpetana Station. A journey to the Origins
Carpetana Station (Line 6). Vía Carpetana, 141.
Opening hours:
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every day, during the station opening hours (06.00 to 01.30 a.m.)
In the course of Carpetana station remodelling works, palaeontological remains were discovered with valuable findings dating from the Miocene, which have permitted a reconstruction of the palaeo-environments at two vertical sites.
The first of the spaces has a vinyl panel with images that represent the palaeo-environment existing over 15 million years ago, with remains mainly corresponding to mastodons of the Gomphotherium angustidens species. In addition, this same exhibition area accommodates a reconstruction of a genus of deer called Heteroprox, with the environments and plant species existing at that time at Carpetana, which has been revealed thanks to the pollen and animal fossils recovered in the excavation.
The second space recreates the palaeo-environment of around 14 million years ago and some examples of animals found in the excavations are represented, such as the bear dog, the bear wolf, a feline, a giant tortoise, rhinoceroses, and a wild boar.
Pacífico Station Old Ticket Hall
Pacífico station (lines 1 and 6). Junction of Calle Dr. Esquerdo and Av. de la Ciudad de Barcelona.
Free entry by booking in advance on museosmetromadrid.es.
The old ticket hall of Pacífico Station is the original room from 1923, the year this station opened on Line 1, due to the extension running from Atocha to Puente de Vallecas. The hall is on the platform to Valdecarros.
The Pacífico complex architectural project was designed by Antonio Palacios and includes the Power Plant, the underground station, the offices, workshops, warehouses and the house of the engineer in charge of the facilities management. The original project considered a vaulted ticket hall with a central skylight that was replaced by the current rectangular floor with strong buttress dividing it in three parts and three additional vaults equipped with smaller skylights in their centres. There was a single way in from the former Pacífico Street, the present-day Ciudad de Barcelona Avenue, on the corner of Caridad Street.
In 1961, the extension of the platforms was planned from 60 to 90 metres due to the change in the structure of trains, increasing from 4 to 6 cars and consequently, two new halls were also planned. One of them would lead to the even numbers side of Doctor Esquerdo Street and the other one to Sánchez Barcaiztegui Street. The original ticket hall would remain closed. Later on, the ticket hall was repaired and reopened to the public and it is now part of the underground museums of Metro de Madrid.
