Barcelona Mars 16th, 2017
This project comes from the need to facilitate the access of the users of the Linea Llobregat-Anoia of the FGC to the Barcelona center, increasing the territorial cover to the left of the Eixample, and also allowing the correspondence with the Linea Barcelona-Valles of the FGC, the streetcar and with several metro lines (L1, L3 and L5). With all of this, an estimated 25 million users will be benefiting.
The objective of the project consists of the definitions of the necessary actions in order to execute a prolongation of the Linea 8 of the FGC into a stretch of about 3.8km; where each of the tunnels will be a bi-tubed section of 6m in interior diameter, with a metric track width, and to build 3 new stations along its path, (Hospital Clínic, Francesc Macià y Gràcia), including a maneuvering queue in the end. As such, this stretch will go from the Plaça España station (which is currently the origin of the Llobregat-Anoia line) and the new Gracia station. It is a highly urban ambit, with an elevated density of buildings, which are mainly residential, and as such, around 75% of the line is planned to be opened with a tunnel boring machine, combined also with a cut&cover strategy to minimize the damages on the surface.
There are also several works that need to be done, such as the entrance and extraction pits for the tunnel boring machine, as well as its maintenance tunnels (which will then be modified as emergency exits), structural elements intended to protect the already existing infrastructure, ventilation pits (both in the tunnel and the station) etc.
The total cost is estimated to be 320M€, and the work will last for 4 years.