Barcelona City Council and the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM) have opened the tender for the second phase of the tram connection along the Diagonal, between Verdaguer and Francesc Macià. The municipal company BIMSA launched the procedure, which covers the tram infrastructure, the redesign of the avenue and the enlargement of the sewer collector beneath it. Linking the Trambaix and Trambesòs networks will directly connect the Baix Llobregat municipalities with the Besòs through the city centre.
What is being tendered
The tender combines the collector and redesign projects, which are the City Council’s responsibility, with the tram infrastructure, which is the ATM’s responsibility. The works are divided into five lots:
- Lots 1, 2 and 3: civil works for the collector, underground tram infrastructure and redesign in three sections between Passeig de Sant Joan and Avinguda de Sarrià (Sant Joan to Pau Claris, Pau Claris to Balmes, and Balmes to Avinguda de Sarrià).
- Lot 4: the tram platform and stops between Verdaguer and Avinguda de Sarrià.
- Lot 5: the energy installations and the unified tram network on the same stretch.
The tender also includes enlarging and doubling the collector under the Diagonal. This will reduce flood risk on the avenue and its surroundings and raise hydraulic capacity by up to 60%.
The money and the numbers
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| City Council, total (VAT included) | 120 million euros |
| of which sewer collector | 65.5 million euros |
| of which redesign | 54.5 million euros |
| ATM (VAT excluded), financed by the Generalitat de Catalunya | 97 million euros |
Expected demand is 75 million journeys a year, double the demand before phase 1 of the connection. Traffic is expected to fall by around 12,500 vehicles on a working day. The journey between the two ends of the Diagonal, from Campus Diagonal-Besòs to Zona Universitària, will take less than 40 minutes. The redesign covers a 2.8-kilometre stretch and an area of 115,000 square metres. It adds 16,000 square metres of pedestrian space and 18,900 square metres of greenery. Cycling space will total 8,700 square metres, 1,800 more than today, with a 4-metre-wide two-way cycle lane. The section will have three new stops: Diagonal-Cinc d’Oros, Balmes and Casanova.
What happens next
The lots are due to be awarded and the contracts signed in spring, so that work can start next summer. The works are estimated to last 40 months, with the collector, tram and redesign lots carried out at the same time. A testing period will follow before the service starts, planned for 2031. The tender follows a collaboration agreement approved by the City Council’s Government Commission and the ATM board, part of a project included in the Infrastructure Master Plan to unify Barcelona’s two tram networks. Separately, the City Council is working on a project to reorganise the Diagonal from Zona Universitària to Francesc Macià, with the two inbound lanes turned into bus lanes; it is to be tendered in the coming weeks.