ON JULY 25, the Vice-President and Minister of Public Works for the Madrid regional government Luis Eduardo Cortes formally inaugurated a new control centre for the city’s metro network at Alto de Arenal. Built at a cost of Pts2·5bn, the centre brings together the control of train services, stations, power supplies, and security from five locations.
Open around the clock, the centre employs 180 staff; there are 27 workstations on the main operating floor, arranged into five groups. These cover train operations, passenger information, station equipment, security and power supplies. Initially, the centre is responsible for 11 lines and 59 substations, but following the completion of Metrosur in 2003, it will be responsible for 265 trains operating on 12 metro lines, with 82 substations, 1200 escalators, and 250lifts.
