Adif AV has completed the design of the first three construction projects that will be the basis of the transformation of Barcelona Sants station and its integration into a new city model.
The projects, coordinated with the City Council, are already in the supervision phase, will obtain technical approval before the end of the year, in order to launch the tender for the works in the first quarter of 2024 and begin their execution in the last quarter of next year.
The investment associated with this reorganisation and transformation of Barcelona Sants station and its surroundings amounts to more than EUR125 million.
The drafting of the construction projects has been coordinated in the last year with the technical teams of the Council in weekly meetings to outline a process that addresses the construction aspects and railway operation, as well as the coexistence of surrounding residents and travellers at the station. It has taken into consideration the conclusions of the participatory process developed with representatives of the territory, neighborhood associations and merchants for a year and a half, which culminated with the presentation of the preliminary project in September 2022. Since then, three construction projects have been drawn up that will transform Barcelona Sants into a strategic node for the mobility of the future based on sustainability and multimodality as well as on an integrated approach into a city-model and citizen-oriented.
The projects define the Plaza Països Catalans, which recovers its original state, incorporating new green areas, children’s play areas and rest areas, responding to the concerns collected in the participatory process with neighbors and merchants.
Under the first phase of the project, the station’s passenger building will be renovated and modernised including the construction of a new boarding hall for high speed services, the expansion of areas dedicated for passengers using suburban services. Two new entrances to the station will be created on the sea-mountain axis and the lobby will be renovated and the other areas will be reorganised.
The surroundings of the station prioritise the spaces approaching the multimodal terminal, both pedestrian and road, after the traffic reorganisation initiated by the Barcelona City Council.
The Barcelona Sants project reconfigures the station as a central meeting point, surrounded by green spaces from east to west and from north to south, harmonising with the urban landscape, oriented as an opened element to the social, cultural and economic life of the city.
The transformation of the station and its surroundings is projected as a response to the increase the attractiveness of passenger rail transport, associated with the liberalisation process. It takes advantage of the opportunity to integrate the station into a new urban model, eliminating the roundabout effect and facilitating pedestrian connections.
The transformation of Barcelona Sants station is committed to sustainability by increasing the greenery and trees, incorporating photovoltaic panel installations in the new roofs for self-consumption with renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction, with the use of natural materials with a low carbon impact, such as granite, wood and metal.
The commitment to citizens and pedestrians is materialised by limiting road traffic to the street of Viriat, in addition to eliminating circulation in the northern area of Passeig de Sant Antoni, which is replaced by a public space.
Barcelona Sants station will become a reference for a multimodal station including suburban and high-speed rail traffic, providing increased access to different types of transport including the active and last mile mobility made with bicycles and scooters.
The projects will be funded through the NextGenerationEU.
Barcelona is currently modernising its public transport and heavy rail systems. In 2021, Adif awarded a contract for the second phase of the construction of a new rail access terminal at the Josep Airport Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat and in 2022 signed another contract for security and communications facilities which will be completed at the beginning of 2024. This new rail access will generate significant benefits to public transport mobility in Barcelona’s metropolitan area allowing direct services between two terminals of the airport and the stations in the city, including Sants station. When the project is completed, between 7 and 9 million passengers will use the new infrastructure each year. The first phase of this project has an estimated investment of EUR 305 million.
On public transport aspect, Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona has put into operation the first new metro train in March. Alstom was awarded a EUR 320 million contract for the supply of 50 Metropolis trains which will replace the existing metro fleet.
In addition, Alstom was awarded in 2022 a contract to install the APS power supply system for city’s tramway network and to retrofit 18 existing vehicles.
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