Barcelona Metro Line 4
From La Pau to Trinitat Nova via Via Laietana and Barceloneta, through the oldest tunnels on the network.
About Line 4
L4 has 22 stations and 16.5 km between La Pau and Trinitat Nova, all in double-track tunnel. Its central section uses the tunnels the city council dug under Via Laietana in 1908, the oldest on the network. From there it heads down to Barceloneta and on towards the Besòs, while at the other end it climbs through Joanic and Maragall to Nou Barris.
You can change to L2 at La Pau, to L1 at Urquinaona, to L2 and L3 at Passeig de Gràcia, to L5 at Verdaguer and at Maragall, and to L3 and L11 at Trinitat NovaES. According to TMB, Urquinaona and Verdaguer are the two stations on the line that are not accessible.
Stations on Line 4
22 stations, 6 of them with an interchange to another line (marked with a ring and the colours of the other lines).
La Pau – Trinitat Nova
22 stations
Timetable and frequency of Line 4
| Line | Mon–Thu | Fri & eve of holidays | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L4 | 05:00 – 00:34 | 05:00 – 02:33 | 05:00 – all night | all night – 00:33 |
Earliest first departure and latest last departure at any station on the line, for a week without public holidays. Each station page has its own times by direction.
| Line | Interval Monday–Thursday, 08:00 | Sunday, 12:00 | Measured at |
|---|---|---|---|
| L4 | 3.9 min | 5.2 min | Urquinaona |
Average interval worked out from the trains per hour and direction that the operator schedules at that station.
History
The Gran Metro company bought the Via Laietana tunnels for 800,000 pesetas and in the twenties used them for a branch from Aragó to Jaume I, with a stop at Urquinaona. On 20 February 1934 it was extended to Correus. In 1972 the branch closed for works, and in February 1973 it reopened as Line IV, from Jaume I to Joanic, with the new stations of Gran Via (now Passeig de Gràcia), Girona and General Mola (now Verdaguer).
It reached Alfons X and Guinardó in May 1974. In March 1976 it was extended from Jaume I to Barceloneta and Correus was taken out of service. The section from Ciutadella to Selva de Mar opened in October 1977. Two extensions came in 1982: in April, Maragall–Via Júlia, the first metro section opened by the restored Generalitat, and in October, to La Pau; Besòs Mar opened under the name La Mina. From 1985 to 2002 L4 also ran the La Pau–Pep Ventura section, now part of L2. In 1999 it reached Trinitat Nova and Roquetes was renamed Via Júlia. El Maresme | Fòrum opened in September 2003, and in 2009 Guinardó took the name Guinardó | Hospital de Sant Pau.
How the service runs
At Urquinaona, on weekdays, 15 to 16 trains an hour run in each direction in the morning peak, one every 4 minutes, and about 12 around midday, one every 5. After 22:00 it drops to about 7 an hour. On Saturday mornings the interval is around 7 and a half minutes, shortening to about 5 in the afternoon; on Sundays around midday 11 to 12 trains an hour also run. On Saturday night the line stays open, with trains every 8 to 12 minutes, and on Fridays it closes at around 2:00.
The trains
The line uses 2100- and 9000-series trains. The 15 trains of the 2100 series, built in 1997, were gradually transferred from L2 to L4 in 2007. The 9000 series, built by Alstom for L9 and L10, is equipped for automatic operation, but on L4 the trains have a driver. The 300 and 1100 series ran on the line in the past.
Frequently asked questions
It was the terminus of the Gran Metro’s Via Laietana branch from 20 February 1934. It had a single track and one entrance, on Plaça d’Antoni López, next to the main post office building. It closed to the public on 20 March 1972 and was taken out of service when the line was extended to Barceloneta. From the train you can still glimpse period advertisements and election posters from 1971.
The station opened in 1982 as Roquetes. In 1999, when L4 was extended to Trinitat Nova, it was renamed Via Júlia. Today RoquetesES is a station on L3, opened in 2008.
It opened in 1982 under the name La Mina, but the renaming was announced at the opening ceremony itself. It is one of the three stations on the section that took the line to La Pau, together with Besòs and La Pau itself.