The Community of Madrid, through its Ministry of Housing, Transport, and Infrastructure, has announced the recent completion of works aimed at improving accessibility at several Metro stations. These efforts focus on the installation and upgrade of elevators and escalators, benefiting both the busiest stops and less prominent ones that serve local residents in various city neighborhoods.
The stations benefiting from these new installations are Prosperidad (Line 4) in the Chamartín district, San Blas (Line 7) in the San Blas-Canillejas district, and Estrella (Line 9) in Retiro. The primary goal is to ease passenger journeys by improving the connection between street level, station halls, and platforms, with a particular focus on individuals with disabilities or mobility challenges, such as the elderly.
At the Prosperidad station, two new escalators are now operational, connecting the street to the hall and completing the route to the platforms. In San Blas, three additional sections are being installed: two between the street and the user distribution area, and another between the intermediate level and the platforms. Work to install two escalators at Estrella station is scheduled to begin next July, anticipating a potential decrease in passenger numbers during the summer.
These interventions are part of a total investment of three and a half million euros, with completion expected by early September. The Community of Madrid emphasizes that these actions reinforce its commitment to more accessible public transport, adding to the existing network of 1,709 escalators.
Since 2023, the regional government has allocated over 228 million euros to install 65 elevators across 17 stations, including significant upgrades at Avenida de América and achieving full accessibility at Begoña. Currently, work is underway to add 48 more elevators at 13 locations, with further renovations planned for Ventas and Santiago Bernabéu, which will feature numerous elevators and escalators.
In addition to new installations, a budget exceeding 24 million euros has been approved for the preventive maintenance and repair of approximately 50% of the network's escalators, aiming to ensure operational reliability and minimize passenger inconvenience.
Despite these efforts, opposition parties Más Madrid and PSOE-M criticize the regional government's "disinvestment" policies, arguing they are causing "chaos" and "constant incidents" within the service. The regional government, however, defends its work and its objective to maintain the Metro as the "best and most accessible in the world."
