Barcelona opens metro Line 10 South

Barcelona inaugurated the first section of the driverless Metro Line 10 South on September 8, when free travel was offered between Collbanc and Foc. Line 10 South services share Line 9 South tracks on the 2km stretch between Collbanc and Can Tries Gornal before diverging onto a 2.5km branch to Foneira and Foc, the interim terminus of the line. Two further stations, Provençana and Ciutat de la Justícia, are planned on the Can Tries Gornal – Foc section.

All five underground stations on Line 10 South are accessible for passengers with reduced mobility. Services operate at seven-minute headways and three trains are required to operate the timetable with one train in reserve. The line has a commercial speed of 30.1km/h.

The northern section of Line 9 from La Sagrera to Can Zam and Line 10 to Gorg was inaugurated in June 2010. This was followed in February 2016 by the opening of the 19.6km southern section of Line 9 from Zona Universitària to Airport Terminal 1. Line 10 South services are due to be extended to Zona Franca by 2022.

The Catalan government is seeking a €740m loan from the European Investment Bank to enable the resumption of construction on the core section of Line 9/10 from Zona Universitària to La Sagrera, with works expected to resume next year. This could enable the completion of Line 9/10 in 2023, nine years later than originally envisaged.

The opening of Line 10 South extends the Barcelona metro network to 121.5km, including 33km of driverless lines, with 156 stations.

Source: railjournal.com