The budget for the current year 2024 of the Generalitat de Catalunya government for the Catalonia region provides for numerous investments in the expansion of public transport, mostly in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
This also includes the announcement and preparation for the procurement of 39 additional metro trains. They are needed to close the gaps in the fully automated L9/L10 lines, but also to increase the frequency on other lines.
In addition to modernisation work that has already begun on the L1, L2 and L3 lines and the expansion of the L3 depot in Sant Genís, the budget also includes the commissioning of detailed studies for the extension of the L3 between Zona Universitària and Esplugues as part of the development of the new Hospital Clínic project and the design planning of the extension project for the L4 from La Pau to La Sagrera.
A preliminary study is also being commissioned for the project to extend the L12 line operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya railway between Sant Boi de Llobregat and Castelldefels.
Outside Barcelona, funds are available for the construction of the future Camp de Tarragona tramway, for which overhead line-free operation is being investigated. We reported on the project here: https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/a-tram-train-for-tarragona/.
Commissioning of the new 7000 and 8000 series from Alstom is progressing rapidly at the Baercelona metro. On 16 February 2024, the last train of the small-profile 3000 series, which had dominated the network for decades, was officially retired from revenue service.
