Catalunya metro station
Line 1, Line 3, Line 6 and Line 7 · Zone 1 · l’Eixample
Catalunya station
Catalunya is the terminus of Line 6 and Line 7 and a through station on Line 1 and Line 3.
- L1 and L3 (from 7 September 2026 until 31 December 2026): From today until 30 December, the passages linking the two L1 platforms, and those linking the two L3 platforms, at Catalunya station are closed for improvement works. To change between L1 and L3, follow the signs in the station.
More than a hundred years of railway history lie beneath Plaça de Catalunya. When the city walls were demolished in 1863, a surface railway was already running to Gràcia, Sant Gervasi and Sarrià; on 26 October 1905 electrification of the line as far as Sarrià was completed, making it the first electrified line in Spain, and in 1929 it was put underground beneath Carrer de Balmes, with the underground terminus that is now the end of the line for L6 and L7. The metro arrived in the same years: the platforms of today’s L3 opened on 30 December 1924 and those of L1 on 9 June 1926.
In 1971-1972 RENFE built a tunnel between Sants and this station and laid its tracks in the middle, alongside those of L1: four tracks, the two central ones with an island platform for commuter trains and the outer ones with the metro platforms – one large open space designed to make changing trains easy. Today the interchange takes up almost the whole area beneath the square, with shopping areas and eight metro entrances. The two TMB lines cross almost at right angles; the FGC terminus is at the southern end, near L3. In 2024 the FGC station recorded 12,328,361 entry validations.
First and last train at Catalunya
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Fri & eve of holidays first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 towards Fondo | 05:01 – 00:22 | 05:01 – 02:22 | 05:01 – all night | all night – 00:21 |
| L1 towards Hospital de Bellvitge | 05:04 – 00:22 | 05:04 – 02:22 | 05:04 – all night | all night – 00:23 |
| L3 towards Trinitat Nova | 05:00 – 00:18 | 05:00 – 02:18 | 05:00 – all night | all night – 00:18 |
| L3 towards Zona Universitària | 05:00 – 00:22 | 05:00 – 02:22 | 05:00 – all night | all night – 00:22 |
| L6 towards Sarrià | 04:50 – 00:07 L6 only: 05:37 – 00:07 | 04:50 – 02:15 L6 only: 05:37 – 02:15 | 05:30 – 02:15 L6 only: 05:52 – 02:15 | 05:30 – 00:30 L6 only: 05:52 – 00:02 |
| L7 towards Av. Tibidabo | 04:50 – 00:03 L7 only: 05:55 – 00:03 | 04:50 – 02:12 L7 only: 05:55 – 02:00 | 05:30 – 02:12 L7 only: 05:58 – 02:00 | 05:30 – 00:30 L7 only: 05:58 – 00:00 |
Scheduled departure times at this station, from the TMB and FGC GTFS timetables for a week without public holidays (TMB runs its Monday-to-Thursday timetable on weekday public holidays). “All night” means there is no night-time break: L1 and L3 run without interruption from Saturday night to Sunday morning. FGC lines do not run all night. On the FGC lines the large time counts every FGC train that stops here (S and R trains too); the small time below it is for the metro line’s own trains.
How often the trains run
Average interval between trains on the line, worked out from the trains per hour and direction that the operator schedules at the station shown; towards the ends of the line it can be longer.
Stations next to Catalunya
Scheduled travel time between Catalunya and the stations on either side.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | Universitat | 0.9 min |
| L1 | Urquinaona | 1 min |
| L3 | Liceu | 1.3 min |
| L3 | Passeig de Gràcia | 1.2 min |
| L6 | ProvençaES | 2.5 min |
| L7 | ProvençaES | 2.5 min |
Interchanges and connections
- Metro: change here between Line 1, Line 3, Line 6 and Line 7 (TMB and FGC share the station name, but each operator has its own platforms, up to about 250 m apart). Minimum change time that TMB allows in its timetable (not counting the wait for the train): L1–L3, 45 s.
- Rodalies (commuter rail): lines R1, R3, R4, RG1.
- FGC trains: lines S1, S2.
- Bus: lines 7, 19, 22, 24, 39, 47, 52, 54, 55, 59, 63, 67, D50, H12, H16, V13, V15, V17, X1.
Entrances to Catalunya
The station’s street entrances according to TMB, with the line each one leads to and whether it has a lift.
What is near Catalunya
Its entrances come out on La Rambla, Pelai, Bergara, Ronda de Sant Pere, Ronda Universitat, Passeig de Gràcia and Rambla de Catalunya. In the square itself stands the monument to Francesc Macià, about 170 m away as the crow flies. Around it are the Casa Pich i Pon, about 80 m away, the Teatro City Hall and the Teatre Tívoli, about 120-130 m, El Triangle, about 210 m, and the Parròquia Major de Santa Anna, about 250 m.
| Place | Straight-line distance | On foot (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Teatre Tívoli | 130 m | 2 min |
| Monument a Francesc Macià | 170 m | 3 min |
| El Triangle | 210 m | 3 min |
| A Joan Güell i Ferrer | 230 m | 4 min |
| Parròquia Major de Santa Anna | 250 m | 4 min |
| Comedia | 260 m | 4 min |
| Casa Pia Batlló | 280 m | 5 min |
| Club Capitol | 310 m | 5 min |
Places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m, under their local (Catalan) names. The walking time is an estimate (straight-line distance × 1.3 at 80 m a minute).
Frequently asked questions
L3. Its platforms opened on 30 December 1924 and those of L1 on 9 June 1926. The underground terminus of the Sarrià railway, now run by FGC, followed in 1929, and the commuter-rail tracks in 1971-1972.
When RENFE brought its tracks in from Sants, in 1971-1972, it placed them in the middle, alongside L1: the two central tracks, with an island platform, are for commuter trains, and the outer ones, with their own platforms, belong to the metro. It was done deliberately to make changing trains easier.