At the end of 2022, Adif Alta Velocidad (AV) announced the winning project of the international competition for the remodeling of the Madrid-Chamartín-Clara Campoamor train station. This proposal, called Chamartín Open Ecosystem, won unanimously among 9 finalists and was developed by 3 Spanish studios: Esteyco, UNStudio, and b720 Arquitectura.

For the call for proposals, Adif considered several aspects that would preserve the historical value of the train station and adapt it to the needs of modern times: railway and commercial functionality, accessibility and integration with the city, plus the sustainability of the project and image. Under this premise, the project maintains iconic aspects of the current main building, such as the vaults and terraces, and incorporates building towers on the sides.

These towers are destined to become a point of interest in the city, as they will be the first or last image passengers will see when arriving or departing on their trips. The project also includes the construction of urban balconies (stepped terraces), which seek contact with the city, opening windows to the citizens over the station.

In this way, the station will be integrated with its surroundings, as an extension of the parks located on both sides of the complex. Also, two multipurpose terminals will be built and the station, like a large courtyard, will generate interior routes around the train, promoting connectivity and enhancing pedestrian flow.

The objective is to complement the station’s internal and external transit capacity (passenger flow) and to organize access, route, and exit flows. As well as improving the connection with other urban and interurban means of transportation (tracks and platforms for commuter trains, plus the medium and long-distance network).

Traveling to the future

The winning architects designed an intermodal connection to the interchange, which will have access from Agustín de Foxá street, being easily integrated with other modes of transport such as cabs, metro, bicycles, and scooters. At the same time, this station is aligned with the Digital Transformation Plan and the e-future Plan being developed by Adif in Spain.

For its part, the commercial solution is based on an All in Hall model, used for a high-volume station, which connects with commuters and long-distance transportation services. An interesting aspect of this project is the sustainability strategy. It responds to the criterion of an adaptable and inclusive infrastructure: accessible, digitized, pedestrian-friendly, and mobility in the vicinity.

Additionally, a connection with the Madrid-Bajaras airport (currently pending bidding) and the incorporation of spaces for new ecological modes of transportation are also planned. The estimated investment for the remodeling of the Madrid-Chamartín-Clara Campoamor station amounts to more than 1,000 million euros (1,075 million dollars) and is a project that seeks to implement a more sustainable, smart, and integrated model, based on the railroad, and focused on the citizens.

The history behind it

The Madrid-Chamartín-Clara Campoamor train station is located in the northern area and the main lines of connection to the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula depart from it. It was inaugurated in 1967 and its last renovations were made between 1972 and 1975.

It was named after the politician, lawyer, and writer Clara Campoamor, who was one of the main promoters of women’s suffrage during the Second Spanish Republic. She created the Feminine Republican Union, an organization that focused its activities on raising awareness and educating about women’s rights.

Women’s suffrage in Spain was included in the Republican Constitution of 1931 and was exercised for the first time in the 1933 elections. Clara Campoamor fled Spain at the outbreak of the Civil War and went into exile in Switzerland, where she died at the age of 84.