Barcelona metro opens Correus and Gaudí ghost stations for first time

Barcelona's ghost metro stations of Correus and Gaudí will open to visitors this fall, coinciding with the centenary celebrations.

The former L4 metro line station of Correus, located on Via Laietana street, is only accessible on foot via the tracks from Jaume I station. Therefore, the visit has to take place at night when there is no metro service.

Gaudí's station, on the L5 blue line, is located between Sagrada Família and Sant Pau | Dos de Maig stations. It will be accessible during the day, as the visit does not interfere with the train service.

Aside from the ghost stations, Barcelona's Metropolitan Transport Authority (TMB) has set six more spaces that are not "usually accessible," such as warehouses for the L9 and L10 autonomous metro lines, or even an old stairwell in the Urquinaona station (L1 and L4). Visitors can also become train drivers for a day at the metro simulators, which will open, once again, for citizens to test them. Back in July, tickets sold out in one hour.

In addition to the ZAL warehouse, the newest member of the network, visitors will also be allowed to discover the Santa Eulàlia warehouse, the oldest in service and part of the 99-year-old 'Metro Transversal,' the current L1 red line.

5,033 free tickets will be available to visit these eight sites from September to November, and bookings start on Tuesday, September 9, at 10:00 am online at obrimelmetro.cat. These visits, aside from the metro centenary, are also part of the European Mobility Week.

Correus and Gaudí stations

For the first time, TMB users will be able to visit the two ghost stations of the network: Gaudí and Correus.

While Gaudí was built but never went into service, Correus used to be the last stop of the L4 yellow line before it was extended. The station will be accessible on October 20, 21, and 22, and on November 17, 18, and 19 in the early hours of the day. The first visit is scheduled at 1:30 am.

There will be 225 free tickets for the Correus station, and people will have to wear comfortable shoes. The 40-minute visit will include walking on the tracks from Jaume I to the station, which is around 250 meters away. The station was in use between 1934 and 1972.

Meanwhile, the Gaudí station will open between 9:30 and 14:00 on October 3, 4, 25, and 26. There will be 720 spots available, and visitors will be shown a video explaining why the station never came into service. The station was built in 1968.

Filling the Sink podcast

Ghost metro stations, air raid shelters, abandoned shopping centers and huge water storage facilities lie beneath the city streets.

Listen to this Filling the Sink podcast episode from January 2022 to learn more about Barcelona's underground and the hidden world of the city's subterranean.