Fiona Govan
After a three year refurb and delays caused by archaeological discoveries as well as a pandemic, Madrid’s Gran Via metro station has reopened to much fanfare.
The station has mixed retro style with state-of-the art technology in a design that seems to be a hit with Madrileños.
People flocked to the station on the opening weekend which saw some 41,000 visitors on the first day alone. At least 6,000 of those said they had come with the specific intention of looking at the new design which was inaugurated by Madrid mayor Isabel Ayuso on Thursday, July 15 and opened to the public the next day.
The street level entrance to the Metro is a replica of original entrance, a granite gateway designed in 1917 by famed architect Antonio Palacio, the man behind some of the capitals most iconic buildings including Bellas Artes and the Palacio de Cibeles (now City Hall).
Atop the gateway two lions stand guard, exact granite replicas of those that served as a landmarks on original station, and emblems that appear across the city.
But while the entrance is a throwback to the past and the glory days of the Gran Via, the interior of the station embraces modern technology with the latest in touch screen ticketing and laser turnstile technology and a gigantic video screen in the main lobby.
A new underground passageway leads from Sol’s Cercanias link to the Gran Via station which is a stop on Line 1 and Line 5 of the Madrid Metro.
Four new elevators and 13 escalators were also installed in the much needed update of the station that took over three years to complete and cost €10.7 million in total.
The station includes a museum space to display archaeological treasures discovered during the renovation work as well as throwbacks to the original station including the original lift designed by Palacios and advertising hoardings dating from 1920s.
Madrilenos took to social media to post pictures of the new station.
Here are some of the best shots:
These next photos show the new station alongside the original.
And in this one, someone dug out an old Metro guide to compare.
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