Nuevos Ministerios [ˈnweβos minisˈteɾjos] is a major multimodal rail station on the Madrid Metro and the Cercanías Madrid commuter rail network. It is located beneath the Nuevos Ministerios (New Ministries) government complex and the AZCA financial centre at the junction of the Paseo de la Castellana and Joaquín Costa and Raimundo Fernández Villaverde streets in Madrid, Spain. It services the districts of Tetuán, Chamberí, and Chamartín. The station serves Metro Line 6, Line 8, and Line 10, as well as Cercanías Lines C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-7, C-8, and C-10. It is located in Metro fare zone A[1][2][3] and Cercanías fare zone 0.[4]
History
editThe railway station currently used by Cercanías Madrid was inaugurated on 18 July 1967 as part of the original Atocha–Chamartín Rail Tunnel. The tunnel connected the long-distance rail stations of Chamartín and Atocha, and was popularly called the Túnel de la risa (Laughing Tunnel) due to its perceived similarity to an amusement park attraction.
The Metro station opened twelve years later on 10 October 1979 when the first segment of Line 6 was inaugurated, running from Cuatro Caminos to Pacífico and including a stop at Nuevos Ministerios.[5] The Metro and Cercanías stations are connected underground with hallways.
On 10 June 1982, a second set of platforms was added to the Metro station when the first segment of the old Line 8 was inaugurated, running from Fuencarral to Nuevos Ministerios.[6][7][8] In 1986, the old Line 8 was extended from Nuevos Ministerios to Avenida de América. However, in 1996, work began on a project to connect Line 10 and Line 8, absorbing Line 8 into Line 10, and Line 8 service between Nuevos Ministerios and Avenida de América was suspended. On 22 January 1998, the new combined Line 10 was opened, connecting the station to Fuencarral in the north and Aluche in the south.[9]
In 2001, the Line 10 platforms were closed while Line 10 was converted from narrow-profile to wide-profile trains. Also in 2001, work began on a project to extend the current Line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios, providing more direct access from downtown Madrid to the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, which is located on Line 8. The Line 8 platforms were inaugurated in 2002. Between 2002 and 2006, the station featured a service allowing passengers to check in for selected flights at Nuevos Ministerios and then board a train to the airport. The service was ultimately abandoned for security reasons.[10][11]
On 9 July 2008, a second tunnel was added to the Atocha–Chamartín Rail Tunnel, increasing the number of Cercanías platforms to six.[12] As of 2011, the station offers service on the Cercanías C-1 Line to Aeropuerto T4, meaning there are two direct rail services between Nuevos Ministerios and Barajas Airport. The Cercanías station currently serves Lines C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-7, C-8, and C-10.
The vestibule between Metro Line 8 and 10 and the Cercanías station is large enough that it is occasionally used for events and shows.
References
edit- ^ "Línea 6 Circular". Metro de Madrid. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ "Línea 8". Metro de Madrid. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "Línea 10". Metro de Madrid. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Página oficial de Cercanías Madrid" [Official website of Cercanías Madrid]. Renfe Operadora (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ "El Rey inauguró la nueva línea de Metro entre Pacífico y Cuatro Caminos" [King inaugurates new Metro line between Pacífico and Cuatro Caminos]. El País (in Spanish). 11 October 1979. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ Ministerio de Transportes, Turismo y Comunicaciones (9 June 1982). "Ahora Fuencarral, Begoña, Chamartín, Cuzco y Lima están a un Metro" [Now Fuencarral, Begoña, Chamartín, Cuzco and Lima are only a Metro away]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "El Metro, nueva vía de penetración a Madrid por la zona norte (1)" [Metro, new line through the northern zone of Madrid (1)]. ABC (in Spanish). 10 June 1982. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "El Metro, nueva vía de penetración a Madrid por la zona norte (2)" [Metro, new line through the northern zone of Madrid (2)]. ABC (in Spanish). 10 June 1982. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ Azucena Criado (22 January 1998). "La nueva línea 10 del metro enlaza Aluche y Fuencarral en 37 minutos" [New Metro Line 10 connects Aluche and Fuencarral in 37 minutes]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ M. A. (22 May 2002). "Aznar pone la terminal de Nuevos Ministerios como ejemplo del despegue económico de Madrid" [Aznar cites the Nuevos Ministerios terminal as an example of Madrid's economic take-off]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ Verónica Marín (22 May 2002). "La macroestación de Nuevos Ministerios abre hoy al público" [Nuevos Ministerios macrostation opens to the public today]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ Rebeca Carranco (10 July 2008). "El nuevo 'túnel de la risa' ahorra 10 minutos por trayecto a los pasajeros" [New 'laughing tunnel' saves passengers 10 minutes per trip]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
External links
edit Media related to Estación de Nuevos Ministerios at Wikimedia Commons