Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat, Catalonia's regional government, will add 10 intercity bus stops along Avinguda Diagonal on Monday 27 July, increasing the total between Maria Cristina and Zona Universitària from 13 to 23.

For commuters using intercity services in this western Diagonal corridor, the change means some usual boarding points will move a few metres along the avenue. The authorities have installed signs to direct passengers to their relocated stops.

According to Barcelona City Council, the redistribution is intended to prevent a single stop from serving more than 20 bus lines. Some existing stops currently concentrate up to 40 lines, while the corridor handles about 1,800 daily bus journeys.

Three interchange areas gain additional stops

The revised layout covers the stretch of Diagonal from Maria Cristina to Zona Universitària. The additional stops are distributed across three areas:

  • Maria Cristina: three new stops, taking the total to eight.
  • Palau Reial: the number of stops rises from four to seven.
  • Zona Universitària: four new stops, taking the total to six.

Several of the new locations will be double stops, allowing two buses to board passengers at the same time. The measure is intended to reduce queues and ease the concentration of buses at individual shelters and poles.

Reorganisation described as the first stage

Laia Bonet, Barcelona's deputy mayor responsible for mobility, described the rearrangement as the first stage of a wider strategy to address pressure on intercity transport infrastructure.

Bonet described the change as “phase zero” of a broader strategy.

The increase in bus demand has been linked to disruption on Rodalies, Catalonia's commuter rail network. The City Council and Generalitat are using the Diagonal changes as an interim measure while longer-term infrastructure, including stations and interchange hubs, would require more extensive construction.

Passengers travelling from Maria Cristina, Palau Reial or Zona Universitària should check the new stop signs on Diagonal before boarding from Monday 27 July.

Primary sources: Barcelona City Council. Reported by Carla Stavraky, Natàlia Vila, Pere Roca Soler, David Guerrero, barna.news, Carles Cols, Jordi Palmer, Alfonso L. Congostrina, bsmsa.cat, Andrea, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life.