It's only been a year since he was appointed director of the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità. Before that, Manuel Valdés - an engineer by training - had spent 17 years at Barcelona City Hall, where he promoted the new bus network, the low-emission zone, the superblocks and the tram along the Diagonal. All this experience, he says, has helped him to delve into the "engine room" that is the ATM: "In the morning I want to see the message that everything is working normally."

After years of to-ing and fro-ing and discussions, the works for the tramway connection along the Diagonal already have a start date: it will be on the week of March 7, three weeks from now, when the machines will begin to make one of the most controversial and debated projects in the city of Barcelona a reality. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2024, as explained to Betevé by Janet Sanz, the deputy mayor for Urban Planning, and once they are ready, the public transport network will gain three new stations in a 1.5-kilometer stretch: Monumental, Sicilia and Verdaguer. If the schedule is maintained as planned, three years from now work will begin up to Plaza Francesc Macià to continue with the objective of reducing road traffic on Diagonal, since once the TramBaix and TramBesòs are united it is estimated that 225,000 passengers will use this line daily, which will make it possible to eliminate some 12,500 private cars.