The history of the construction of Barcelona's L9 metro line has never been easy, and it wasn't going to be easy in its current phase either. Works began in 2003, but the economic crisis, cost overruns, and lack of political direction caused everything to fall apart. After almost 11 years of stoppage, works were reactivated in the summer of 2022, with a clear mission for its tunnel boring machine, known as Hospi, to build the four kilometers of tunnel pending between the future Campus Nord and Lesseps stations. But, despite the budget allocated to prevent it, the years had taken their toll and a few months ago it was forced to take another break. The colossal tool is very worn out and needs to be repaired, which has caused the schedules to go awry again, postponing its completion date, with 2029 being the last deadline that had been mentioned and now it is already forgotten.
Weighing more than 2,300 tons, equivalent to four Airbus 380s, the world's largest aircraft model, Hospi has to renew its head, with a new hybrid cutting wheel that the Generalitat has had to buy for 12.5 million euros. A figure that will have to be added to the almost 6,000 million euros in which the total cost of the metro line and its many delays had been estimated. It is expected to be stopped for more than a whole year. Despite everything, the tunnel boring machine has managed to reach Mandri station, after having started its journey in Campus Nord two years ago, also excavating the section that connects with the future intermediate stops of Manuel Girona and Sarrià. What remains pending, 1.6 kilometers between Mandri and Lesseps, is also made of an even more difficult material to bore through.
Once the remaining tunnel has been built, it will still be necessary to finish equipping already completed sections. Specifically, in most of the central tunnel, a part of the intermediate slab that divides the L9 stations is missing, which allows the metro to circulate on two parallel levels, one in each direction, and not side by side. For now, the intermediate slab reaches a little beyond the Zona Universitària stop, on the way to Campus Nord, at the end coming from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. At the other end, towards Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Badalona, progress has been made in its construction between the La Sagrera TAV and Plaça de Maragall stations.
As of today, L9 Sud starts at Barcelona Airport and reaches Zona Universitària ---the stop before Campus Nord---, where it ends next to L10 Sud, which comes from the ZAL. After the central section, L9 and L10 reactivate in La Sagrera, one going to Santa Coloma de Gramenet (L9 Nord) and the other to Badalona (L10 Nord). In total, there are 38 kilometers and 35 stops in operation. As there is still a lot to tunnel in the central section, the acting Government has tried to reverse the new setback by focusing on those stations that are most advanced. These are La Sagrera TAV, La Sagrera, Plaça de Maragall and Guinardó Hospital de Sant Pau, all of them with civil works almost 100% completed. The forecast is to open them within three years, in 2027.
With these new four stops incorporated in the northern part of L9, seven stops will remain to be completed in the central section of the line, each with different degrees of civil work execution. These will be Campus Nord (6%), Manuel Girona (0%), Sarrià (50%), Mandri (65%), El Putxet (18%), Lesseps (92%) and Sanllehy (42%). Outside the section between Zona Universitària and La Sagrera, the Camp Nou (75%) station, just after Zona Universitària, and the Motors (10%) station, on the branch coming from the ZAL, after the Foc stop, will also remain to be completed. Other pending stations, such as Ciutat Aeroportuària and Eixample Nord (L9), and Polígon Pratenc (L10), all three located in El Prat de Llobregat, have no date or plans.
When L9 and L10 are ready, they will have a total length of 48 kilometers ---16 kilometers will be shared--- and will consist of 50 stations, of which 17 will be interchanges. The longest will be line 9, with 38 kilometers that will connect El Prat de Llobregat, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet. Both lines are expected to have a demand of 113 million annual travelers, increasing their current capacity by 400%, with 27 million annual travelers. The central section is expected to generate 80% of the demand.