The works to connect the FGC lines of Llobregat and Vallès will start in the summer of 2023

The connection of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) lines of Llobregat and Vallès is getting closer to the starting line. The Department of Territory has put out to tender the works to build a new four-kilometer tunnel that will go from Plaza Espanya station to Gràcia station in just seven minutes. In this section, the public transport network will gain two stations, located in Hospital Clínic and Francesc Macià. The Plaza Espanya and Gràcia stations will also be reformed, where passengers will have to change trains to take the Vallès line.

The works have been tendered for an amount of 320 million euros and an execution period of five years, with the forecast that the infrastructure will be a reality between 2029 and 2030. Adding the investment of the previous works, underway since last summer and consisting of diverting services such as water, gas or electricity, as well as the subsequent placement of tracks and catenaries, this action will entail a global investment of 430 million euros.

The tunnel boring machine that will allow the extension of line L8, which comes from Molí Nou (Sant Boi de Llobregat), to Gràcia will start operating this summer and will drill a tunnel formed by a single tube that will include both tracks, of metric gauge, except for a small initial section that will consist of two parallel single-track tunnels. The tracks will pass at a maximum depth of 52 meters and will have a 10-meter excavation diameter. Before starting the drilling work, a campaign of inspections will be carried out in more than 13,500 homes, premises and garages that are in the way.

In its route, the new railway section will have two new stations, as well as the respective emergency exits from the tunnel to the street. The new FGC stations will be similar to those of metro line L9, located at great depth and allowing access with large-capacity elevators that will connect with the lobbies.

Specifically, the Hospital Clínic station will be located on Comte Urgell street, between Rosselló and Còrsega, and will allow transfer to metro line L5. The Francesc Macià station will also be on Comte Urgell street, between Buenos Aires street and Francesc Macià Square, facilitating interchange with the tram and several urban and interurban bus lines.

Finally, the renovation of Espanya station will involve extending two of the four current tracks, expanding the concourse, and reconfiguring accesses and connections between levels. On the other hand, the expansion of Gràcia station will entail building a new station under Travessera de Gràcia, between Balmes street and Plaça Gal·la Placídia. From the concourse of the new station, access will be provided to both L8 and the FGC Vallès line via high-capacity elevators.

Almost 20 million users benefited

According to the Department of Territory, the union of both lines is expected to save 4.5 minutes in travel time, facilitating transfers with other metro, FGC, and tram lines in a particularly dense area of Barcelona. It is expected to benefit 19.5 million users annually, and of these, 15 million will be new. Likewise, it is estimated that the Llobregat line will go from having a demand of 23 million trips each year to 38 million passengers each year. Although the new infrastructure will only represent 4% of the kilometers operated by Ferrocarrils, in relation to demand, it will represent up to 38% of the total, meaning that 4 out of 10 users will ride the L8.