Barcelona’s Metro Line L3 is now fully accessible
Improvement works at the Plaça d’Espanya interchange have been completed, ensuring accessibility for people with reduced mobility at all L1 and L3 stations.
An accessible public transport network for everyone
The main goal of the ongoing project is to progressively adapt public transport across the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. A major step forward has just been taken with the full upgrade of Metro Line L3, making it 100% accessible for people with reduced mobility. These improvements have culminated in the redevelopment of the Plaça d’Espanya interchange, one of the most important connection hubs in the city’s public transport network.
The upgrade works began in the summer of 2020 and have been brought into service progressively. in April 2024, the L1 station was completed, and this week, with the commissioning of the last two lifts connecting the concourse level to each platform, the adaptation of L3 has been fully completed.
This recently completed project symbolises, in the words of the Catalan Government Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, ‘a firm commitment to accessibility and, as a result, to public transport’, while also representing ‘an improvement in city residents’ quality of life’. This complex project that has enabled the full adaptation of L3, making it the first of the city’s historic lines to become fully accessible.
What were the main changes?
The adaptation works at the interchange, which involved an investment of €13.2 million funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), have improved accessibility at the L1 and L3 stations and the connection routes to the FGC network. The works have included installing new lifts, refurbishing platform walkways, and expanding station concourses, enabling full access for people with reduced mobility.
Adaptation on other metro and rail lines
This model is now set to be replicated on other lines to ensure that the public transport system meets the needs of city residents. In this regard, adaptation works are currently under way at the Ciutadella and Vila Olímpica stations (L4), Clot station (L1), and the first phase of the Verdaguer interchange (L4 section). However, upgrade works are also being planned for the L5 interchange at Plaça de Sants, as well as at Urquinaona (L1 and L4) and Verdaguer (L5).
These essential and extensive renovations, which are already under way, aim to improve the city’s connectivity and enhance quality of life for its residents. In addition to the upgrades at metro stations, efforts have also been made to improve connectivity on the city’s rail lines. A key example is the extension of the FGC L8 line, which will strengthen the connection between Vallès and Barcelona through the construction of three new stations and the renovation of existing ones, such as Plaça d’Espanya and Gràcia. This project, with an investment of €412 million, will significantly expand public transport coverage in the city by providing a faster and more direct connection between areas.
This set of actions forms part of an ambitious plan to transform and modernise the metropolitan public transport network, designed to make it more efficient, sustainable, and, above all, accessible to everyone. This project paves the way for inclusive mobility, ensuring that people with reduced mobility can move around with complete freedom and dignity.
