PSOE councilor Ignacio Benito backed the expansion of Madrid Metro's Line 11 but rejected the route proposed by the Community, arguing it prioritizes projects with high advertising impact over the real mobility needs of Madrid residents.
Benito criticized the spending of 880 million euros for Formula 1, contrasting it with the lack of a Metro station near the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, which serves approximately 600,000 people. He proposed alternatives such as extending Line 8 to connect with Valdebebas and lamented the disregard for neighborhood claims and planned tree felling in areas like Madrid Río and Jimena Quirós street.
For his part, the delegate for Urbanism, Environment, and Mobility, Borja Carabante, defended the Line 11 extension as a response to mobility needs and criticized the PSOE for its "cowardly silence" regarding the alleged lack of investment in the Cercanías network, managed by the central government.
Carabante urged the PSOE to join the City Council in demanding the Spanish Government the pending 7 billion euros for Cercanías and railway maintenance, pointing to the 1,183 incidents on Cercanías this year that caused delays and health risks. He also held the PSOE responsible for the cancellation of the AVE high-speed train and the reduction in track maintenance that, he claimed, resulted in 45 deaths in Adamuz.
Finally, Carabante identified the Ministry of Defense as responsible for obstacles to extending Line 11 to Cuatro Vientos, stating that its unfavorable report prevents the Metro from reaching that point and accusing the central government of not investing or allowing the Community to develop investments in the capital.
