
A streetcar zig-zag to save the Glòries junction. The Barcelona Urban Planning Commission has given the green light to the new streetcar route in the area around Plaça de les Glòries, which includes a zig-zag route along Ciutat de Granada street, changing its current route to solve some of the problems generated by its mobility.
The proposal is part of the collaboration agreement between the City Council and the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM) to reorganize the streetcar tracks and redevelop the area between Plaça de les Glòries and Rambla del Poblenou and optimize the connection and accessibility of the area.
How will the streetcar zig-zag in Glòries look like?
The most notable change in the project is the creation of a new split in the tramway tracks on Avinguda Diagonal, at the level of Carrer Ciutat de Granada. At this point, line T4 (Diagonal) will be separated from lines T5 and T6 (Gran Via).
It is here where lines T5 and T6 (Gran Via) will have to make a zig-zag route to get back on their way: instead of taking Gran Via from Plaça de Glòries, these streetcars will go down Diagonal for a stretch, turn abruptly into Ciutat de Granada street and then take Gran Via again.
While entities such as the Promoció del Transport Públic platform consider that this will slow down the streetcar route, the Deputy Mayor for Mobility, Laia Bonet, has defended the design, justifying that “it is the best option considering the complexity of the space”, where pedestrians, private traffic, buses and the streetcar itself converge.
Although the Urban Planning Commission has given its endorsement, the collaboration agreement will have to be ratified in the municipal plenary session scheduled for this January. On the other hand, Jaume Collboni’s government has announced that it intends to extend the tramway tracks along Diagonal to Passeig de Gràcia before the end of the term of office in 2027.