Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has announced a tender for the purchase of 39 new trains, with a planned investment of €331 million.
The aim is to cater for extensions, increase capacity and improve service frequency, especially on the most heavily used lines.
The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, emphasised during the metro centenary ceremony that this acquisition will enable 20,000 more people to be transported at rush hour and reduce waiting times.
Of the new trains, 22 will go to L2. In turn, the 22 trains of the 9000 series will be destined for the central section of L9/L10 after the elimination of the driving cab. The other 17 will reinforce the so-called conventional lines: six for L1, three additional trains for L2, four for L3, and four for L4.
On L3, four trains of the 5000 series will be withdrawn and transferred to line L5.
Thus, by 2029, all main lines are expected to have frequencies of less than 3.5 minutes at rush hour, reaching 2 minutes and 15 seconds on L5 and 2 minutes and 38 seconds on L1.
The new trains will be more accessible and sustainable, and will feature advanced maintenance and cybersecurity technology. The increase in the fleet responds to the steady growth in demand, which already exceeds 1.6 million validations per day.
The announcement comes just days after the last trains of the latest rolling stock order were completed.