TMB, Barcelona's public transport operator, and Escola d'Art Deià have presented the accessibility project Acostem Torre Baró at Canyelles metro station in Nou Barris, with the launch held on Thursday 29 May as part of the Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture programme. For residents, visitors and passengers using the station, the immediate change is practical: a marked route now offers tactile, visual and braille guidance between the metro and the viewpoint by the Torre Baró castle bus stop.

The project is aimed at blind and partially sighted people, though TMB says it is also intended to help the wider public discover or revisit Canyelles, Torre Baró and the surrounding Collserola natural area. The station panel is installed in the lift lobby at Canyelles, which gives travellers a clear starting point as they leave the metro.

According to TMB's announcement, the scheme includes three accessible information panels placed at key points along the route. These provide printed text and braille, tactile-visual maps of the itinerary, illustrations of local wildlife and plants, and a tactile representation of what can be seen from one of the viewpoints at Castell de Torre Baró.

  • One panel is inside Canyelles metro station, in the lift vestibule.
  • Two further panels are outdoors along the route towards the castle viewpoint.
  • The route connects the metro with the mirador at the Torre Baró castle bus stop.

Students designed the route during the 2025–26 academic year

TMB says the project was designed and produced during the 2025–26 academic year by students on project management studies within the higher vocational course in interior design, and by students on intermediate vocational courses in printed graphics and interactive graphics at Escola d'Art Deià.

The students developed their proposals after technical training in accessibility and research into the needs of people with visual impairments, as well as the rules that apply to accessible design. The final support design came from combining the three student ideas rated most highly, according to TMB.

TMB said the collaboration once again shows its commitment to removing barriers and linking public transport with the city's historical and natural heritage.

Escola d'Art Deià is based in the Canyelles neighbourhood, which gives the project a direct link to the area it serves. Readers who want to understand how BARNA handles official claims and verification can find the process on our Source Transparency page.

Panels combine tactile profiles, braille and landscape materials

TMB states that the panel supports include a tactile and visual profile of Collserola in the area nearest the castle. They also feature relief tiles inspired by Barcelona's panots and hydraulic mosaics.

The interior lectern inside the metro network has been made in stainless steel. The two outdoor units have been made in corten steel so they sit more naturally within the mountain landscape, according to TMB.

The public bodies and organisations involved were the Nou Barris district, the Consorci del Parc Natural de Collserola, the Institut Municipal de Persones amb Discapacitat, the Aula de Natura del Castell de Torre Baró and TMB, alongside staff and students from Escola d'Art Deià. TMB says its own Universal Accessibility and Signage team helped define the regulatory requirements, while metro signage maintenance and cleaning teams made the raised-relief and braille information panel inside the station.

The launch was included in the programme around Barcelona's designation as 2026 World Capital of Architecture, which the Ajuntament de Barcelona, the city council, presents as a city-wide programme linked to architecture and public space. More information about this publication and how to Contact Us is available on our site.

For anyone planning to use the route, the access point named by TMB is Canyelles metro station on the Barcelona Metro. The first panel is in the lift vestibule, where users can begin the accessible itinerary towards the Torre Baró castle viewpoint.

Primary sources: noticies.tmb.cat, tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, noticies.tmb.cat, barcelona.cat. Reported by Coodinació Comunicació, El Periódico, esdapc.cat, REDACCION, mschools.com.