The subway goes back to the 20s for its centenary

On December 30, 1924, the Barcelona metro made its first journey: from Catalunya to Lesseps, passing through Aragón and Diagonal. One hundred years later, the then Aragón station and now Passeig de Gràcia has dressed up in 1920s style to commemorate this centenary. Its L3 platform reproduces the one used by passengers on that first metro journey, recreating elements such as benches, signage, advertisements, a station master's booth, and even characters in the attire of that inaugural day.

The station, which has temporarily even recovered the name Aragón, will maintain its new and old aesthetic until January 30. In addition, it will permanently display a commemorative tile with the Gran Metropolitano logo, which will also be installed in the other four stations of that first line that connected Plaça Catalunya with Lesseps.

The network also celebrates its centenary with "an absolute record in passenger numbers, which will reach 465 million validations this year," as detailed by the CEO of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), Xavier Flores, from the station.

This journey to the past has kicked off a year of celebration for the metro's centenary, during which TMB will open the doors of different spaces normally inaccessible, such as the so-called ghost stations, the control center, or the old spiral staircase of Urquinaona. In addition, the 4,000 metro professionals will celebrate the centenary with specific activities, such as an exclusive concert at L'Auditori and an inauguration party for the restored historic trains, and will debut a new uniform.

The centenary will also lead the metro to participate in the Three Kings Parade and La Mercè, and will include a documentary and a book about its history, the latter illustrated by Pilarín Bayés. The anniversary will also be commemorated through new technologies, with a virtual reality exhibition, which will allow an immersive journey through the history of the metro from the Espai Mercè Sala on Diagonal this summer.

During the centenary year, there will also be exhibitions, such as the one of restored trains that will open to the public during the last quarter of 2025. And there will also be space for sports, with two unusual races. The first will take place in the deepest station of the network, El Coll / La Teixonera, with 74 meters of depth; the second will be a night race in the subway, which will raise funds against ALS, the solidarity cause chosen by TMB professionals.