This is how the Sants station reform projected by Adif and the City Council will be

The arrival of the AVE and the delays at La Sagrera have made Sants station the most important in the city. Conceived as a small station, the growth in passenger traffic, both high-speed and Rodalies and metro, has ended up collapsing it. The Barcelona City Council and Adif have signed an action protocol to begin tackling the transformation of Sants, expanding the station towards Plaça dels Països Catalans.

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In a first phase of action, still without a timetable, the expansion of the Sants station lobby by 40 linear meters is planned. Sit will extend to the square itself, eliminating the two outer lanes currently used by buses and taxis to drop off travelers at the station, and by private cars to bring family and friends. Initially, all these routes will be relocated to an underground car park at the station, on the sea side, ensuring that access is easy and intuitive, both for users who want to arrive from inside and those who want to do so with vehicles from the street. Likewise, the expansion of the lobby will allow for the reorganization of accesses and improved passenger flows, with the aim of leaving behind the crowds on the platforms.

The transformation of Sants that is now beginning will also seek to redefine Plaça dels Països Catalans, respecting its original meaning, but making it more pleasant and comfortable. In the presentation of the collaboration agreement between both administrations, the Deputy Mayor for Urban Planning, Janet Sanz, pointed out that vegetation elements will be incorporated to be able to sit and rest in the square, in addition to creating spaces where one can play. "It will be the advance of what we want La Sagrera to be," she added. The aim is for Sants station to stop being a non-place and to generate a space for coexistence adapted to the change in the city model that the council is promoting, which wants to transform all of Barcelona into a large super-block.

Once this first phase is overcome, the transformation of Sants will continue with the elimination of the bus station on the mountain side, on Viriat Street. The idea of the city council is to maintain a stop at Sants station, on Tarragona Street, but that the majority of buses end their journey in Plaza España, where it has long envisioned a large interchange. Without the bus station, this space will serve to gain green surface in the area, connecting the Eixample with the Parque de la Espanya Industrial through a green corridor.

Works will begin in 2022

To make the first changes a reality, the preliminary draft of this reform for the expansion and improvement of Sants station must be defined, which is expected to be completed before summer and will include an estimate of deadlines, phases, and costs. The construction projects for the new lobby and the update of the square must also be developed, which should be ready by the end of the year, with the aim of starting works in 2022. These procedures will be developed simultaneously with the participatory and information processes with the neighbors, which will begin this week.

According to Sanz, the costs of these first actions must be assumed by Adif, taking into account that it has been responsible for the alterations suffered by Plaça dels Països Catalans, in addition to being the one with the powers to redefine the station. Regarding the second phase of the actions, Sanz also believes that Adif will have to bear a good part of the costs.

With the aim of guaranteeing the execution of these objectives, the Barcelona City Council and Adif will create a technical office that will study the technical aspects, lead the participatory processes with the people of Barcelona, and collaborate with the drafting team of the projects.