Is This Europe's Best Metro System? | Madrid Metro

The Madrid Metro has 302 stations over 12 lines, including two loop lines, and almost the entire thing is tunnelled. Despite this, the system has expanded incredibly rapidly, so let's get acquainted with what might just be Europe's best metro system!

A special shoutout to Matteo Allegri and Lindsay Tobias for helping with this video!

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Hi, my name's Reece. I'm a passionate Creator, Transportation Planner, and Software Developer, interested in rapid transportation all around my home base of Toronto, Canada, as well as the whole world!

#madrid #spain #metro

[danielmuzza]

I travelled to Madrid along with my family, my grandma (74) & my younger sister, who is handicapped. Even though she could walk for short distances, she couldn't stay stood for much time, so she spent most of the time siting in her wheelchair.

We decided to travel through the city by using the metro.

I can only say that it was an excellent experience. The system is currently adapting many metro stations to become universally accesible and they have a plan to convert all of their stations in the near future, even the oldest ones.

They have a map that describes which stations were accesible and had elevators. So we defined our routes (and even where to stay) based on that map.

Every time a train arrived, and we waited in front of the adapted wagon to enter (the 1rst one), the driver would stand up, leave his cabin, approach to us and ask if everything was okey and in which station we would leave.

This was so meaningful for us. We had an amazing experience in Madrid. My sister could stay seated in most of the sidewalks, as they were completely accesible, and also in each time we were in the metro system. A trip we'll definitely always remember!

[cactojuice]

As a londoner, the Madrid metro is a literal dream. I get line 10 every morning during commuter hours and it's pretty busy but trains literally run every 1-2 minutes so by the time I've walked to my end of the platform there's usually a train already pulling in, it's actually fantastic

[AlexPacker]

Spain is so often overlooked as a country which does public infrastructure really well

[kathrynodonnell]

I think the best feature is the fact that there is only one train running on each platform so you don’t have to figure out if you are boarding the wrong train. So simple! And its color coded!

[jaime.vgt]

It is also very noticable that the Madrid's metro has phone and wifi coverage all over it, despite basically all of it being underground. Such a big difference when I moved to London, where the connectivity is just horrible.

[ijmad]

I visited Madrid just a few weeks ago and was really impressed by the Metro system, it's well designed, easy to navigate as a tourist, covers everywhere we wanted to go, interchanges were easy, trains were in good and of course many busy stations featured the Spanish Solution! Definitely one of the best I've seen in Europe.

[boredlife]

Having lived in Madrid for 2 years and visited many other European cities thereafter, I can (hopefully objectively) say that Madrid definitely has the best metro system in Europe, especially in terms of cleanliness and well lit-ness. One thing that immediately makes me dislike a system is when its stations are dark and dingy. The white walls and bright lights of the Madrid Metro give a modern feel to it while at the same time making it feel safer for everybody. Some of my girl friends have said that it is because of this reason that they don’t feel scared to ride the metro, even late at night.

[dmnddog]

I've been to Madrid several times, and I can say that it's a great city above and below ground. The Metro is definitely one of the best features of the city.

[thierryvt]

I lived in Madrid for half a year (for an internship) back in 2015 and this sums it up pretty well. Normally I don't like being without a car but during my stay in Madrid I not only didn't miss it for a single second but I was actually glad I left my car at home. It would've been way more hassle than it was worth and I doubt it would've been any faster to get to and from work or even the shops.

The transit system there fucking rules, trains were always on time. All of the ones I rode had A/C. fast, comfy, pretty cheap too. What's not to love?

The flat I rented was a 5 minute walk from puerta del sol with all its shops/restaurants and a sizable transit hub. From leaving the flat to entering the office was about a 25-30 minute journey.
Nice weather, beautiful city, awesome food, super close to literally everything. It's not an understatement to say that I absolute loved my time there.

My co-student (since you had to go in groups of at least 2) actually loved it so much that he decided to stay. Met a girl there and recently got married, all because we took the gamble of going international on our internship. Funny how life can go huh.

[fbrtnrsthf]

You mentioned the major train stations, but Madrid has abundant well-placed intermodal hubs, such as
Avenida de América, Méndez Álvaro, Moncloa, Plaza de Castilla & Plaza Elíptica and these are well-served by the Metro. In fact, they are great passenger feeders to the metro!
The overall connectivity with Cercanias is also great, but I think you will address that in the future...

[unknownPLfan]

Spain is such a great country if you love trains to the point where it should be associated with its trains in the way people automatically think trains when they think Japan.

[AlvaroALorite]

As a Spaniards that has traveled abroad, one of the pros that I appreciate the most about Madrid's metro is its quietness (of the ride) and the cleanliness of the stations.

[wernerrietveld]

What I understood is that the soil in Madrid is perfect for tunneling: no weak mud as here in the Netherlands, uncuttable granite or an unstable pile of rocks, but a nice stable kind of rock which tunnelboring machines comfortably breeze through.
Add to that the fact that Spain is European champion and world elite in building mixed and dense neighborhoods, and you have the perfect background for a superb metro system.

[michaelnajera]

Thanks for summing it all up. I’ve been to Montreal, NY, Philadelphia, SF, and London. My wife has been to Italy and France. And the best Metro we ever experienced was in Madrid.

Only DC’s metro comes close, but not nearly enough

[fbrtnrsthf]

Madrid has seen recent improvements to the cellphone connectivity underground. This is hugely important for the experience during a ride... that way I can listen to a podcast and tune out.

[MattMcIrvin]

Well, I can tell you from personal experience that it's damn good. I've ridden the transit systems in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia and they all seem to be really good.
I recall being impressed by the walk-through trains and the automated signs inside of them--it's a comfortable ride experience and it's really clear where you are and where you are going.

[RamTheGre]

My favourite feature of the Madrid metro is the Chamberí Station. It is one of the first stations built in 1919 but when it was decided somtime i think in the 60s or 70s to expand the length of the first line stations Chamberí was closed due to the station, if expanded would have been to close to another station. Later it was made a station-museum where you can enter and see the station exactly how it was when it closed with even old ads from the 20s.

[anadelafuente]

My favorite feature of the metro system is, by far, how easy it is to get to the platforms. Not only do all metro entrances indicate which lines you can access through them, but also the hallways have lines drawn on their walls that indicate which metro line they go to. So, for example, say you want to take line five (light green), you'd enter the station and follow written indications, but also, there would be light green lines on the walls that you can follow to your platform, which is super useful for those times indications are not clear, and for those who don't speak Spanish

[tim]

While the Metro de Madrid is definitely great, what caught me a bit off-guard was Principe Pio. Imo it has a funky layout with one track of suburban rail running through the excavated station hall above the Metro lines. Also, it took me a while to realize that the bus terminal is entirely underground. I was really impressed by the layout which separates arrival and departure areas and allows buses to drive directly onto the the A-5 without stopping at any traffic lights.

[RMTransit]

Correction 6:31 - part of the Suburbano's route is now a part of line 5, instead of as shown.

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