It is difficult not to agree that the metro is a very convenient and fast mode of transport, if there are well-maintained subway stations both at the Madrid airport and at the railway station, and, indeed, in the suburbs. Traveling around the capital of Spain for the first time, perhaps, to travel by metro is also safe and economical, in terms of not only finance, but also your time. In addition, part of Madrid's metro is also a historical museum and a monument that will mark the first hundred-year anniversary in less than five years.
Deep story
The date of opening the first subway line in Madrid and in all of Spain - October 17, 1919, is a 3.5 km long road consisting of 8 stations. And the tunnels were very compact, the length of the apron did not exceed 60 m, and the width of the track was 1445 mm. By 1936 Madrid metro already had 3 lines and connected to the railway station. During the civil war in Spain, the stations served as bomb shelters. In 1944, the fourth branch was launched, and in the sixties the city and the suburb were already connected. In 2007, three branches of the "light metro" were opened. So they call high-speed trams that run along the surface, occasionally descending to the ground, when it is necessary to go round cultural objects.
In the Madrid subway there is a closed station - "Chambery", it is called a ghost station. It is part of the first open line, but fell under reconstruction in 1966, because of what strongly approached the next station. It was opened on March 24, 2008 already as an underground museum.
The second underground museum was formed at the station "Karpetana" on line 6. During the period of underground repair works from 2008 to 2010, Many fossilized representatives of the flora and fauna inhabiting the territory of modern Madrid almost 15 million years ago were found. As a result, they decorated the transitions of the station.
First-first, I-second
Metro Madrid is the second largest city in Western Europe after London. If you take the entire territory of Europe, then in third place, second only to Moscow. The general scheme consists of 13 lines, and the latter was commissioned quite recently. The metropolitan network connects 327 stations, has two radial rings and annually transports more than 600 million people.
The entire metro area is divided into 6 zones, the largest of them zone A is a feature of the city - about 70% of the total length of the rails. The remaining zones are the North, South, West, East and TFM (suburbs and cities satellites). As elsewhere, each subway line is distinguished by its own color and name. In Madrid's metro, the name is given at the start and end stop. Ring lines are easy to remember: №№ 6 and 12.
The length of the distance between the stations is about 800 meters, each train consists of 4-5 cars, but on less popular routes or the night number decreases to three.
Every year in the beginning of September the Flamenco festival takes place right on the metro at one of the stations. Before the passengers for five days, the dancers and musicians perform, while the station can seat spectators to one and a half thousand people.
How to use and not get lost in the Madrid metro?
Metro hours in Madrid - daily from 6 am to 1:30 am. In the peak hour, the intervals between trains are only 2 minutes, and by the closing or on weekends it is already 15 minutes. In different areas, the intervals of motion are different. Transition from one zone to another requires a transfer.
It is noteworthy that the movement of trains in the underground is left-side, except for the endaiya-Madrid line, in order to go to another apron it is necessary to use a passage or a ladder (not all stations have escalators). An important word in the subway system is "Salida" - translated into Russian means "exit". Each station has a subway map and crossing pointers, as well as a detailed description of the sights of several blocks above the head.
Another interesting point: not all cars open automatically, sometimes you need to press a button, and even less often - turn the door handle, be careful. Also in the cars are not always announced the station, for your reference there are luminous panels and a traffic pattern.
You should know that in addition to the Spanish language on the site and in ticket terminals you can include English. But it is useless to look for a map or subway scheme in Russian there.
The fare in the metro of Madrid
Tickets are sold mostly at ticket offices and vending machines. Moreover, machines accept paper notes, coins, and even issue change. The only thing is, they ignore the euro cents, so you'll have to look for another application for small things. The ticket is passed through the turnstile, it is taken from the back side already with the stamp of the composter. Each time, passing through the turnstile, one trip is written off from the ticket.
One metro ride is € 1.5, children under 4 years are free. Optimal to buy a ticket immediately for 10 trips around the city for € 11.2, it will come out nicely cheaper. Such a ticket does not expire, and it can be transferred to another tourist. If you are going to the airport, you will have to pay an additional € 1,5 extra. In such trains, as a rule, there is a controller, who can specify the cost of the metro in Madrid and the time of work, if you forgot. It is important to keep the ticket until the end of the trip.
Tourists, eager to explore a variety of attractions, recommend to buy the so-called Abono Turistico - tourist ticket for 1,2,3,5 and 7 days. Travel for 7 days will cost you € 70.80. It is valid in all types of transport in zone A, incl. and in the Madrid metro, except for the city taxi. When buying such a ticket, it is necessary to show
Interesting Facts:
- all over the world two radial rings have only Madrid and Tokyo;
- the deepest station is 49 meters underground;
- you do not have to worry about how much work in the Madrid subway, because After its closing along the subway lines, special night buses run;
- places in low ceilings, if your height is above 178 cm - be careful.