A new Sants station in Barcelona is expected by 2026. It will be a large open building with a transparent façade, with luminous spaces, leisure areas and the Plaça dels Països Catalans converted into a “green space”.
The Barcelona City Council announced that the long-awaited facelift of the facade of the Sants station in the Catalan capital will be completed by mid-2026.
This is the objective of the preliminary remodeling project presented by the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and the Mayoress of Barcelona.
The renovation in question involves the transformation of the lobby and its surroundings. The goal is to make the station a bright and sustainable building, with access through the various existing entrances.
In this way, the traffic lanes that impede the passage will be eliminated and only the maritime side (Parc de la Espanya Industrial) will be allowed to circulate.
The reform of Sants station
It will be carried out in two phases: lhe first will start in 2023 and will last until 2026. The second will run until 2030.
The initial budget for the project is 410 million euros, of which 130 million euros for the first phase comes from European funds.
Among the main changes proposed in the preliminary project are the recovery of original and historical elements of the square, as well as turning it into a green space with “trees and green flowerbeds”.
The proposal also calls for doubling the passenger space to 36,000 square meters by 2026.
Another of the changes is to build a new lobby for the metro and four waiting rooms, two of which would be for the AVE and two for Rodalies.
Natural light will be another component of the remodel. With this, the façade is intended to be open and transparent, in order to let in more natural light.
Other equipment
The station will also have a public playroom and a space for cultural events.
A new roof will also be built on top of the station to house offices, restaurants and stores. Also, 14,000 square meters of surface area will be dedicated to the installation of photovoltaic panels in this area.
Outside the building, the preliminary project proposes to rearrange the surrounding spaces and integrate them into the neighborhood and the life of the citizens.
The works will cover 155,000 m2. Of these, 68,000 m2 will be allocated to bicycle lanes and pedestrian areas. It will also seek to transform and rearrange the passenger building, as well as its accesses and the Països Catalans square.
The preliminary project insists on the elimination of trees and a 75% reduction in vehicular traffic.
The remodeling of the entire space will be carried out under the parameters of the “superilla Barcelona” concept, which seeks to transform the streets and recover them for the citizens.
