Corridor Reopens After Summer Works
Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) reopened the underground connecting corridor between metro lines L1 and L3 at Catalunya station on Monday, 7 September 2026. The link had been closed since 6 July, a period of exactly two months, as part of a scheduled renovation project. The works were carried out during summer months to minimise disruption, when passenger numbers are lower. The project was awarded with a budget of €1.2 million, according to official reporting by El Periódico.
43,000 Daily Users Affected During Closure
During the closure, approximately 43,000 passengers used the above-ground transfer route on an average weekday, combining both directions between L1 and L3. The two station entrances are separated by about 300 metres, forcing travellers to exit to street level and walk between access points. TMB advised passengers to follow signage when transferring, and confirmed that no trip was deducted when re-entering the system after a validated transfer, as stated in service notices on tmb.cat.
Full Renovation and Asbestos Removal
The renovation included full renewal of vertical cladding, civil works, installations, and communications systems within the corridor. Asbestos present in the passageway was safely removed, although it was no longer accessible to the public prior to the works. These improvements form part of TMB’s broader summer 2026 infrastructure programme, which includes track renewals, accessibility upgrades, and station modernisations across the network, as detailed on TMB’s official improvements page.
The connection between metro lines L1 and L3 has to be made on the street, following the signage.
This advisory, published by TMB during the closure period, remained in effect until 6 September.
Key Junction Restored
Catalunya station is one of the busiest interchange points in Barcelona’s metro network. With the corridor now fully operational, passengers can once again transfer seamlessly between L1 and L3 underground. TMB continues to monitor service performance and accessibility improvements across the network, with further works planned at other interchanges, including Plaça de Sants, where the L1–L5 connection will remain closed until approximately April 2027.
Primary sources: tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, transparencia.tmb.cat, barcelona.cat, eb.archive.org. Reported by elperiodico.com, El Periódico, beteve.cat, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life, 20 Minutos Barcelona, 20minutos.es, totbarcelona.cat, El Periódico Barcelona.
