This is the plan to survive between June 6 and 9

If you live in Madrid and you are not Catholic or you have tickets to see Bad Bunny, I have a plan for you the first weekend of June: flee.

Run away from the city, go out, make plans with friends, write to that cousin you haven’t seen in three years and who you only vaguely remember lives by the beach. Because Madrid faces one of the biggest mobility challenges that have been seen in the city.

And it is that the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Madrid between June 6 and 9 coincides with the concert marathon that Bad Bunny It will be offered at the Metropolitan Stadium on May 30 and 31, and June 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14 and 15 at a time when the city is overwhelmed by the works.

These will be the restrictions for a city that expects the arrival of more than one and a half million people.

Madrid fights against its own collapse

They say that when a large star dies it generates a huge explosion in its outer layer, but in its center the density increases so quickly and becomes so heavy that it collapses on itself. creating a black hole.

Of course, if a city runs the risk of fulfilling the metaphor, it is Madrid. Nobody rules out that when its two stars shine brighter, the city will turn in on itself. through any of the holes that right now hurt its surface.

Leaving aside the dramas, the truth is that Madrid faces what is probably its greatest mobility challenge in history. Right now, let’s remember that The entrance to the city on the A-5 operates at half throttlewith an underground work that continues to advance but has not yet sunk the cars underground. In addition, there are active works at the northern entrance to the city, in the Four Towers area, and a little further down the Santiago Bernabéu Metro works have occupied part of the road. Without forgetting the new Ventas Park on the M-30.

As if this were not enough, the Sales works and the section affected by the expansion of Metro line 11 and the Line modernization 6. Without forgetting the affection caused by the construction of the new Conde de Casal interchange. Nor the partial closure of Metro line 10 where trains do not run between the Cuzco and Nuevos Ministerios stations.

The organizers of the event will have to deal with this context. visit of Pope Leo XIV. In total, there are 21 scheduled activities that will continue from their landing and subsequent visit to the Carabanchel neighborhood on June 6 until their departure on June 9 after a meeting with volunteers at IFEMA.

But in between, attention is focused on three major events: the mass in the Plaza de Cibeles and the subsequent procession to celebrate Corpus Christi Day on June 7 and an event inside the Santiago Bernabéu on June 8. During the mass it is estimated that up to one and a half million people could gather.

These events coincide with the aforementioned Bad Bunny concerts in the Metropolitan State, east of the city. And a few hundred meters from the Plaza de Cibeles is the Retiro Park where the Book Fair reaches its midpoint on those days. An event that is not clear if it will be able to operate at full capacity because its workers have not yet been informed if the trucks carrying the material will be able to reach the heart of Madrid completely naturally.

The Madrid City Council has asked companies to facilitate teleworking for their employees, aware of the expected mobility problems. “They will affect us all,” warned José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of the city.

With this in mind, The Madrid City Council has already made the traffic conditions public and on public transport for the most problematic days. This will be the action plan:

Cuts that are already active:

• Plaza de Lima: all central lanes closed in both directions (only the sides are open) and changes of direction are not allowed. Buses on lines 14, 27, 40, 43, 123, 126, 147, 150, N22, N24 and S10 are affected. Check all the modifications here.
• Plaza de Cibeles: cut off the right lane of the Paseo del Prado in the north direction, three lanes of the Paseo de Recoletos and the bus docks. Lines 1, 2, 9, 10, 15, 20, 34, 51, 52, 74, 146, N5, N6, N7, N12, N15, N20 and N21 will be affected.

Wednesday June 3:

• Total closure of the Plaza de Lima: cars traveling through Castellana will have to detour through the surrounding streets.

Thursday June 4:

• Total cut of the Plaza de Cibeles: same situation. The City Council warns that even residents will have problems accessing it with their vehicles.

Saturday June 6:

• Closure of the Nuevos Ministerios Metro station from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the entrances closest to Plaza de Lima (the Castellana exits). The exits of the shopping center, Orense and Agustín de Betancourt will be open.

Sunday June 7:

• Between 6:00 and 10:00: closure of the Bilbao, Tribunal, Plaza de España, Noviciado, Ópera, Sol, Sevilla, Banco de España, Retiro, Príncipe de Vergara, Serrano, Colón and Chueca Metro stations. The trains will not stop there.
• Between 10:00 and 14:00: closure of the Colón, Serrano, Velázquez, Retiro, Banco de España, Sevilla and Chueca stations.

At the moment, no further communications have been made about possible traffic cuts during the Pope’s visit to Carabanchel or the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, but it is recommended to pay attention to the communication channels in case new mobility restrictions are applied. Obviously, it is recommended to use public transport as much as possible and avoid using a car.

Photo | Edgar Beltran and Xataka

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