The subway simulators will open to the public for the centenary

For those who have always wondered what the daily life of a subway driver is like and what is hidden behind the drivers' cabin, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) will open the driving simulator room to the public for the first time during the last weekend of July. The facilities, which are located in Plaça Catalunya and were inaugurated at the end of 2024, have eight cabins where the control panels of the different trains that circulate through Barcelona's extensive metro network are imitated and allow simulating possible incidents that may be encountered during service.

"The simulators have allowed reducing incidents derived from driving by more than 10%," assured the first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet. Thus, in these spaces, situations that drivers may encounter are reproduced, such as breakdowns or the presence of people on the tracks.

These cabins not only serve to train new drivers, such as those who join to reinforce the metro network, but also to refresh the knowledge of current employees, especially when they change lines, since different train models currently circulate underground in the city. Drivers can change lines every two years and, if they do, they require new training. Practices within these simulators are also complemented by in-person cabin training.

The first metro line simulator was opened in TMB's rooms at Hospital Clínic station in 2020, and involved an investment of one million euros. However, in September 2024 it was decided to move this simulator to a larger space, to have more cabins, and to a more central point. Thus, they were installed in the city's neuralgic point, Plaça Catalunya, which also represents a central space for the metro network, since two of the busiest lines converge at this station: the L1 and the L3.

Since these new simulator rooms were opened, more than 440 professionals have passed through them, and the forecast is that by the end of the year, 328 more employees will be trained and 2,800 hours of practice will be reached in this space. These spaces are normally only enabled for professionals and, exceptionally, this summer, to celebrate the metro's first centenary, they will be opened for the first time to the public to get to know and try out the facilities firsthand. During the weekend of July 26 and 27, in addition to accessing the simulation cabins, it will also be possible to visit the Control Center, which will also open the previous weekend. Both activities will require free prior reservation.