Adif has commissioned the new main concourse at Madrid Chamartín on 2 June, a key infrastructure milestone that reshapes passenger handling and marks the culmination of the station’s enlargement and modernisation programme.
With a total area of 18,000 m², the facility becomes the backbone of passenger flows at a station that has seen strong growth in recent years. Combined with the suburban (Cercanías) underground concourse, space allocated to conventional rail users rises to 26,900 m².
The new Chamartín concourse has been conceived as an open-plan, accessible and highly functional space, prepared to absorb the increase in demand derived from policies to promote rail travel, railway liberalisation and the expansion of the high-speed network.
Four times more space for travellers
The redesigned Chamartín concourse has been conceived as an open-plan, accessible and highly functional environment, geared to accommodate rising demand driven by rail promotion policies, market liberalisation and the expansion of the high speed network.
Fourfold increase in space
The passenger building has more than quadrupled in size, from around 4,000 m² to 18,000 m². This expansion is organised into three zones: high speed, suburban services, and a central spine measuring 225 m in length and 18 m in width, acting as the primary distributor. This corridor concentrates retail and food outlets on one side and boarding areas on the other, optimising flow segregation.
A key rail-related enhancement is improved access to high speed platforms. Six high-capacity access ramps — referred to as “fingers”, borrowing from aviation terminology — now link the concourse directly with the platforms, reducing transfer times and improving passenger safety.
In parallel, the Cercanías area introduces full access control through ticket gates within the main concourse, aligning Chamartín with other major metropolitan stations.
Additional works and intermodality
The concourse opening integrates with broader upgrades at Chamartín, including the doubling of high speed tracks from six to twelve, now configured as through lines, and the full refurbishment of 13 Iberian-gauge tracks. These interventions enable more flexible operations, increased capacity and improved incident management.
The new space also strengthens intermodality, with direct links to metro, bus, taxi and mobility services, while enhancing universal accessibility through new routes, lifts and assistance points.
Finally, the traditional forecourt adjacent to the main entrance has been enclosed with a glazed canopy, sheltering users from adverse weather and improving the interface between surface transport and the station interior.
Next stop: Operation Chamartín
This expansion represents only the first phase of an ambitious plan set to transform Chamartín into one of Europe’s largest stations.
The Madrid Nuevo Norte project (formerly Operación Chamartín) includes:
- Construction of six additional through tracks in standard gauge (tracks 26 to 31).
- Development of a new concourse in the northern sector.
- Installation of an elevated footbridge linking both concourses.
- Comprehensive remodelling of legacy areas not addressed in this phase.
- Partial undergrounding of track yards to enable green space development above.
