Page 116 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

Ayrault Pérez, Juan

7.3 Madrid Urban Planning and Atocha complex project

In a process parallel to the railway improvement plans, the socialist City council elected in 1979
promoted an urban plan that settled different principles. A book published in 1982 set the main
lines of the new municipal policy.

The General Plan was approved in 1985. Some of its basic principles such as heritage recovery
and urban public transport improvement had direct consequences for the station and its
surroundings.

Figure 36: Madrid General Plan 1985
Source: https://arquites.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/plangeneral‐de‐madrid‐de‐1985/

A commission appointed by the ministry of Public Works designed a proposal in close cooperation
with the city council that included urban regulations and the essential characteristics of railway
infrastructure. The special plan for the area was finished on December 1983. In April 1984, an
agreement among the Ministry of Transport, the City Council, the Regional Government and
Renfe was signed.
The architecture was not detailed on the planning regulations. Therefore, five teams were
selected in order to design a new railway complex that should include a commuter station with
ten tracks, connected with the existing tunnel, a High Speed terminal with 15 tracks, an access
bridge to both, an urban bus terminal and a new metro station at the existing line 1. Out of
these five, Moneo proposal was chosen on September 1984.
The whole area reshaping was parallel with the building of the station. The infamous ‘scalextric’
disappeared, traffic lanes were redesigned, a bronze reproduction of the 18th century Artichoke
fountain occupied the place of the original, now shown in the Retiro Park. The renovation of the
area was radical but at the same time respectful with the site’s history.

7.4 A new station for a brand‐new line

In 1992 the new High Speed terminal was opened. A concrete, glass and steel new canopy
sheltered 15 tracks, initially seven with standard gauge for HS services and eight with Iberian
gauge for other regional or LD services. It was the edge of the first Spanish HS line, from Madrid

114 360.revista de alta velocidad