The works on the L8 of the Generalitat Railways are preparing for a new phase: the arrival of the Tunnel boring machine that will drill through Barcelona from Plaza Espanya to the Gràcia neighborhood, next year. To introduce this large cutting machine underground, it is obviously necessary to make a hole through which the pieces will be lowered into the subsoil, the machine will be assembled, and drilling will begin. This attack shaft will be located on Gran Via, next to Plaça Espanya, between Llança and Vilamarí streets. It will run 20 meters underground but will nevertheless be very visible to residents because the hole doesn't reach it alone.

The connection of the Generalitat Railways' Line 8 between Plaça Espanya and Gràcia is now a reality, affecting mobility in much of downtown Barcelona. Work to connect the two ends of this line began last year at Plaça Espanya and intensified in January. Since then, The works also affect two sections of Urgell Street and cause important changes in the Diagonal Avenue at the entrance to the city and in Francesc Macià Square, where a new bus stop is being built. Starting this Monday, the work will also have a significant impact on mobility. in the Gràcia neighborhood.

He chaos that took place a few days ago in Plaza de Espanya Barcelona is now reproduced above, by Francesc Macià. "It takes me 30 minutes to cover a stretch that I normally do in 5 minutes maximum." This was the complaint, on Monday morning, of a driver from Sant Feliu de Llobregat who works in Barcelona and normally enters via the Diagonal. Conversation with the ARA stopped at a traffic light, metro waits, resigned, for the bottleneck to clear and traffic to flow. But this Tuesday the situation has repeated itself.

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."