The connecting passage between metro lines L1 and L5 in Plaça de Sants will close starting April 27 due to accessibility works in the interchange. The forecast is that this underground passage will not be operational again until spring 2027, within a project that started last February.
The intervention affects one of the most used connection points of the network. The Plaça de Sants interchange registers close to 12,000 transfers between both lines, which makes this work an impactful action for daily mobility in this area of Barcelona.
A reform to widen the passage and improve accessibility
TMB considers that the closure of the passageway is "an indispensable measure" to be able to execute the widening of the space. The project is part of the adaptation of the interchange and foresees a broad remodeling of the accesses and of the internal connection between platforms and concourse.
Among the planned actions is the installation of three new elevators. One will connect the lobby with the street and two others will link the lobby with the platforms and with the L1 interchange passage. Also, two new emergency exits will be built from the platforms, one with an exit at the lobby level and another directly to the street.
The work also includes the expansion of the access to Plaça de Sants, the placement of devices for people with visual difficulties and a new fare barrier with wider passages, with the aim of facilitating the movement of travelers within the station.
An investment of 15.2 million in this first phase
The first phase of the adaptation of the interchange has an investment of 15.2 million euros. It is the first section of a broader plan, since the foreseen investment to adapt the remaining stations amounts to 109 million euros.
Within that second phase are included the stations of Verdaguer on the L5 and Urquinaona on lines L1 and L4, two enclaves also pending actions to improve accessibility and connection between lines.
The square also faces its future transformation
In parallel, the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona and the Departament de Territori, Habitatge i Transició Ecològica de la Generalitat are working on the drafting of the project for the future urbanization of the square. That planning must accompany the reform of the interchange with the transformation of the surface space, in one of the most transited transport nodes in the Sants area.
With this calendar, Plaça de Sants faces two years of disruptions in its internal link between the L1 and the L5 while works advance that seek to adapt a key infrastructure for thousands of users every day.