SPAIN: The extension of Madrid Metro Line 11 from Pan Bendito to La Peseta in the southwestern suburb of Carabanchel opened to traffic on December 18 2006. With intermediate stations at San Francisco and Carabanchel Alto, the 2·7 km extension has cost €172m to build and is expected to be used by 46 000 passengers/day. A new bus interchange is due to open this year at Plaza Elíptica, Line 11’s northern terminus which is also served by Line 6.
On December 22 Aviación Española station was opened between Colonia Jardín and Cuatro Vientos on Line 10. Built at a cost of k30m, this is intended to support the redevelopment of a former military site. Pinar del Rey station on Line 8 between Colombia and Mar de Cristal was formally opened by Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Madrid Regional government, on January 15 2007, having cost €40m to build. It was due to be followed last month by Arganzuela-Planetario on Line 6.
By the time Aguirre’s term of office comes to an end this spring, the Madrid Metro network will have grown under its 2003-07 expansion programme by 90 km and 80 stations. In 2006 the metro was used by 655 million passengers, 11 million up on 2005. The largest increases were seen on Line 12 (MetroSur) where traffic grew by 10% and on Line 6 where it grew by 3·6%. At its busiest period, more than 678 000 passengers were using the network, with a record 282 trains in service at the same time.
