Madrid transforms area of northern rail station to an urban forest

Within the next two years, Madrid's northern rail station will start its transition to a new city district. The city plans to rehabilitate the station and its district by cutting the car-centric access scheme and replace it by a walking, cycling and public transport driven one.

The renovation of Madrid’s station is to be used to strengthen sustainable mobility as the backbone of access. The connected project, Madrid Nuevo Norte, will add greenery to the area by installing an urban forest which mirrors the layout of the rail station and tracks.

Focusing on the cycling connectivity, Lola Ortiz Sanchez, the city’s General Director of Planning and Mobility Infrastructure, stated:‘Now we’re at the stage where we’re looking at how to develop new infrastructure in this area – everything from the metro, train and bike lanes. By developing a north-south axis we’ll connect the city’s bike lanes, and this will be a great backbone for cyclists.”

Aside the changes to mobility and accessibility in the district, greeneries get a stronger role, foremost as an urban forest of 145,000 square metres. The park is expected to reduce the temperature of the area by 3°C – 4°C., and its design is based on the former railway landscape of the district. The attractiveness of the greenery and the high accessibility of the area should work as an enabler to develop a central business district around the station.

For the next two years, detailed planning is at stake before the main constructions phase starts in 2024.