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Barcelona Metro line 4

Barcelona Gran Metro
Legend
1934
 Lesseps
Fontana
Diagonal-Passeig
de Gràcia
 Aragó
current
current
Catalunya
Urquinaona
Liceu
Jaume I
Correus

Line 4, often known as "Línia Groga" (Yellow line), is a rapid transit line of the Barcelona Metro network, operated by TMB and part of the ATM fare-integrated transport network.

Originally opened in 1973, Line 4's route follows an incomplete loop pattern, linking the heart of Barcelona to the districts of Horta-Guinardó and Nou Barris on one side and the neighborhoods of la Barceloneta and Poblenou on the other. Works are currently in progress to extend the line to the future Sagrera railway station and to La Sagrera rapid transit hub.

Overview

Line 4 is a fully underground 16.7 km (10.4 mi) long route with 22 stations. As other lines in the Barcelona Metro network, the line runs on 1,435 mm standard-gauge track and overhead wire electrification. Its current termini are Trinitat Nova, which is an interchange station with Line 3 and Line 11 and La Pau, which is an interchange station with Line 2.[1]

The line runs from la Trinitat Nova, in the Nou Barris district, to La Verneda i la Pau in the district of Sant Martí. Along its route, Line 4 crosses the districts of Horta-Guinardó and Eixample, serving the centre of Barcelona at Passeig de Gràcia and Plaça d'Urquinaona. The line then serves Barcelona's waterfront at la Barceloneta before crossing Poblenou and other neighborhoods in the district of Sant Martí.[1]

Line 4 was used by 61 million passengers in 2024, making it the fourth most used Barcelona Metro line among those managed by TMB.[2]

History

Initially called Line IV (Roman numerals were used on the network at the time), it was originally conceived as a loop line in the 1966 Barcelona Metro plan. In 1971, the project was modified to follow its final alignment.[3][4]

The line would start operations in 1973, with the initial route taking over part of the original Gran Metropolitano de Barcelona (most of the original route would become part of Line 3). Specifically, the branch from Aragón (nowadays Passeig de Gràcia) to Correos, which had been closed down in 1972, was split from the main branch and combined with a new extension to Joanic to form the initial Line IV route. Correos would be closed permanently to allow for future extensions, with Jaume I becoming the initial terminus of the line. Thus, Urquinaona and Jaume I, which opened in 1926, were the two original Gran Metro stations that became part of Line 4.[5]

The line's first expansion opened in 1974, with a 2 station extension from Joanic to Guinardó. It was extended further to Barceloneta in 1976 and to Selva de Mar in 1977.[6] The line would be extended on both ends in 1982, from Guinardó to Via Júlia and from Selva de Mar to La Pau.[7] That same year, in the context of a general reorganization of the Barcelona Metro, several stations changed names and Line IV became Line 4.[8]

A new extension from La Pau to Pep Ventura would temporarily become part of Line 4 in 1985. Initially conceived as part of Line 5, the Barcelona Metro plan of 1984 would scrap previous plans and assign the route to Line 2. But as the rest of Line 2 was still far from completion, it was decided the section would temporarily be served by Line 4. The La Pau to Pep Ventura section would finally be transferred to Line 2 in 2002, with La Pau becoming the Line 4 terminus once again.

A one station extension to Trinitat Nova, the line's other current terminus, was opened in 1999.[9] Further extension plans towards the isolated Nou Barris neighborhoods on the hills of Collserola were contemplated, but the creation of a new light metro (Line 11) was chosen instead.[10]

El Maresme-Fòrum was opened in 2003 as an infill station, serving El Besòs i el Maresme neighborhood. The station was opened in preparation for the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures held in Barcelona.[11]

Line 4 is planned to be extended as part of the Line 9 and Line 10 project. The planned expansion consists of a three station extension from the current terminus in La Pau to La Sagrera, also serving the future Sagrera railway station. A small section of tunnel needs to be built to serve a new station, Santander, as the existing tunnel from La Pau to the Triangle Ferroviari depot will be repurposed for revenue service.[12] Since 2010, part of the future Line 4 tunnel has been used by Line 9 and 10 to serve La Sagrera, as the tunnel these lines will use in the future is still under construction. In November 2024, the Government of Catalonia commissioned the project for the remaining 300 meter tunnel and the Santander station, the final components needed to complete the extension.[13]

The alignments for line 4 under the 1966 plan (in black) and 1974 plan (in grey) as well as the extension to La Sagrera under construction (in dashed line)

Chronology

Map

Stations

Station Image District Opened Interchanges
Trinitat Nova Nou Barris 27 October 1999
Via Júlia 19 April 1982
Llucmajor 19 April 1982
Maragall Horta-Guinardó 19 April 1982
Guinardó-Hospital de Sant Pau 16 May 1974
Alfons X 16 May 1974
Joanic Gràcia 5 February 1973
Verdaguer Eixample 5 February 1973
Girona 5 February 1973
Passeig de Gràcia 5 February 1973

Renfe
Urquinaona 19 December 1926
Jaume I Ciutat Vella 19 December 1926
Barceloneta 15 March 1976
Renfe
Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica 7 October 1977
Bogatell Sant Martí 7 October 1977
Llacuna 7 October 1977
Poblenou 7 October 1977
Selva de Mar 7 October 1977
El Maresme-Fòrum 4 August 2003
Besòs Mar 15 October 1982
Besòs 15 October 1982
La Pau 15 October 1982

References

  1. ^ a b "Línia L4". trenscat.com (in Catalan). Retrieved 2025-02-25.
  2. ^ Garcia, Marc (2025-02-13). "Quina parada del Metro de Barcelona té més passatgers? Quina menys? Gràfics, estació per estació" (in Catalan). 3cat. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  3. ^ "Per què les línies del metro de Barcelona tenen aquests colors?". rac1.cat (in Catalan). 25 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Breve resumen de la historia del Metro de Barcelona". wefer.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  5. ^ Lamadrid, Gustau (5 February 2023). "50 anys de la creació de la línia 4 de metro de Barcelona". TMB Notícies (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  6. ^ Lamadrid, Gustau (15 March 2016). "Barceloneta celebra els 40 anys millorant la seva accessibilitat". TMB Notícies (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  7. ^ Lamadrid, Gustau (15 October 2012). "La línia 4 de metro s'estenia pels extrems fa 30 anys". GenTMB (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  8. ^ Espinosa, Marta (27 August 2024). "Les estacions de la xarxa de metro que han canviat de nom: la línia groga (L4)". TMB Notícies (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  9. ^ Aroca, Jaume V. (28 October 1999). "La polémica estación de Trinitat Nova de la L4 entra en servicio" (PDF) (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Història del metro a Nou Barris (V): anys d'expansió i d'inauguracions" (in Catalan). Arxiu Històric de Roquetes-Nou Barris. 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  11. ^ "Estació de Metro L4: El Maresme-Fòrum". Arquitectura Catalana (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  12. ^ Garcia, Marc (4 March 2024). "L'ampliació de l'L4 entre la Pau i la Sagrera fa un pas més amb la redacció del projecte". beteve.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  13. ^ Torres i Liñán, Roger (11 October 2024). "Territori adjudica la redacció del projecte per culminar el perllongament de l'L4 fins a la Sagrera". beteve.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 26 February 2025.

41°26′57″N 2°10′56″E / 41.44917°N 2.18222°E / 41.44917; 2.18222