The machine, which began operations approximately one month ago from the Comillas station in the Carabanchel district, is now heading towards the future Madrid Río station, located 1,114 meters from its starting point. This progress marks a significant milestone in the extension project.
The Mayrit tunnel boring machine is responsible for drilling a total of 5,227 meters of tunnel in this section, which is part of the Line 11 extension from Plaza Elíptica. The work is expected to be completed by 2027.
Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the tunnel boring machine maintains an advance rate of between 400 and 500 meters per month. This method is nearly ten times faster than traditional manual excavation techniques.
This performance means multiplying by almost ten the speed of traditional excavation methods, based on manual techniques such as the well-known “pick and shovel”.
Once the tunnel boring machine reaches the Madrid Río station, a technical stop of approximately two weeks will be made to review the machinery before continuing towards the next stations: Palos de la Frontera, Atocha, and finally Conde de Casal.
The entire section between Plaza Elíptica and Conde de Casal will have a total length of 6,626 meters and five stations. Of these, two will be newly built (Comillas and Madrid Río) and three will act as connection nodes (Palos de la Frontera, Atocha, and Conde de Casal).
The Line 11 extension works are already over 50 percent complete, according to data from the Community of Madrid. Previously, a 679-meter section between Plaza Elíptica and Comillas was excavated using traditional methods, completed last January.
This project, with an investment exceeding 740 million euros, aims to create a major diagonal in the Metro network that will connect Cuatro Vientos with Valdebebas in the future. With a planned length of 33 kilometers and 20 stations, the infrastructure will improve the transversal connectivity of the capital, linking with seven major interchanges.
