M40

Line 10 of the Madrid Metro is one of the most important lines in the entire network. According to data from 2024the last available, in this line there were almost 84 million users. Only Lines 1 and 6 surpassed the fastest connection between the southern part of the city and the north or its financial area. Although aesthetically it seems one of the most modern lines of the capital, the truth is that its origin dates back to the 60s when it was even managed by a private company called Carabanchel Suburban Railway. At that time, the route was a mix of what is known today as Line 5 and 10. In the 80s, however, the Metro network absorbed the company and it was then that part of the route was renamed with the current numbering, when the connection between Plaza de España (where the original line ended) and Alonso Martínez (then last stop on line 10) was confirmed. The next 20 years were a revolution for transport in the south of Madrid. First with the connection with line 6 in Príncipe Pío, recovering the old North Station to turn it into one of the great nerve centers of the south. And, later, with the arrival of MetroSur and the connection with line 10. And in the 90s, the section between Casa de Campo and Aluche began to connect with line 5. As a result, Colonia Jardín became the head of the renovated line 10 awaiting its connection with the south. went to early 2000s when Line 12 was completely open. A circular route that crosses Alcorcón, Móstoles, Fuenlabrada, Getafe and Leganés and that connects in the first of them with Line 10. Since then it has remained one of the major daily mobility flows within the city. An increase in passenger capacity that forces the Metro to look for solutions. And he found them removing 300,000 cubic meters of earth. One of the great challenges of the Madrid Metro With the projection of converting line 10 into one of the great axes of Madrid’s mobility, the Metro had to face such important projects as building the tracks and raising auxiliary facilities. Of these, the Cuatro Vientos garages stand out, a project that was carried out in 2002. For manage train flow and renewal of the same (in those years the current 7000 and 8000 were used), Metro de Madrid planned a maintenance and storage space for its trains. The problem is that these depots had to be close enough to the head of the line (Puerta del Sur, already in Alcorcón) but at the same time they had to be built in an extremely complicated space. And between Cuatro Vientos and Alcorcón, the M-40 (the largest ring road in the city), the A-5 highway (the exit to the southwest of the country) and the Cuatro Vientos highway, usually used by the armed forces, were planned. Entrance to the Metro garages in Cuatro Vientos Railway beach in Cuatro Vientos This complicated management of technical elements was solved by designing surface garages that, however, go underground as soon as they pass the track yard. The tunnels, They explain on the Metro page itselfwere built using the system cut and cover. That is, a false tunnel is dug and then covered to recreate it. A useful solution when working very close to the surface. The initial intention, they point out, was to build the tunnel in the mine. That is, digging a tunnel in the traditional way. However, the little space left between the M-40 (where more than 120,000 cars pass through daily) and the train tracks changed plans, finally opting to use the previous technique. And the thing is that between the road and the train tracks there was barely a width of four meters in some points. That is to say, between the passage of the trains and that of the cars there was barely more than a floor of difference. The result allowed the connection between line 10, which runs under the connection of the M-40 and the A-5and the new subway garages, for which they had to be removed 300,000 cubic meters of sand. It is a huge space of 395,441 square meters to house up to 30 trains of those that pass daily on line 10. In that space alone there are more than five kilometers of tracks. Of those almost 400,000 m2, the most important part corresponds to the garages but there is also a second auxiliary building that includes a simulation room so that future drivers can do their first tests. Photos | Madrid Metro In Xataka | 400 cameras and an ambitious goal: the first metro driven 100% autonomously in the Community of Madrid