Line 8 (Madrid Metro)
Line 8 of the Madrid Metro opened between Mar de Cristal and Campo de las Naciones on 24 June 1998. An extension to Barajas via Madrid Airport was opened in 1999 and in 2002 an extension to Nuevos Ministerios and Colombia opened. Originally this line was a small-profile line, but in 2002 it became a large rolling stock line. The line uses 4-car versions of class 8000 trains. In 2007 an intermediate station called Pinar del Rey opened between Colombia and Mar de Cristal, as did an extension to the new Terminal 4 of Madrid Airport.
The old line 8
In a project to create new lines of the 70 envisaged, inter alia, the construction of a north-south line along the Castellana-Recoletos-Prado axis originating in Fuencarral and the south of station Atocha bifurcase, one part to the Puente de Vallecas and partly to Carabanchel. This stretch toward Carabanchel is the current line 11. From this project the construction of the section between Fuencarral and Nuevos Ministerios which opened on 9 June 1982 on the occasion of the celebration of the World Cup in Spain began, as the line gave service to Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Given the economic difficulties of Metro de Madrid in the 70s and 80s, the rest of the project from the original line 8 was discarded, and instead only tunnel that connected via line 8 to line 7 is enabled. This way, on Tuesday December 23, 1986, the extension of line 8 from Nuevos Ministerios and Americas Avenue was opened
The project developed between 1995 and 1998 to merge lines 8 10 by building a tunnel between Alonso Martínez and Nuevos Ministerios, left down the stretch Nuevos Ministerios - Avenida de America. Subsequently, on 10 December 1996 the tunnel was opened, after which the line 8 disappeared to lease its infrastructure to line 10. To make this possible, it was necessary to install the platforms projections because, since then, the stretch began to exploit narrow gauge trains.
Stations
| Station & Connections | Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Aeropuerto T4 |
3 May 2007 | This station serves the recently opened Madrid Airport Terminal 4. It is on the lower level of the terminal building, and is therefore considered the only above-ground station on the line. |
| Barajas | 7 September 1999 | This Station serves the town Barajas near the airport, where there is a complex of hotels. |
| Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3 |
14 June 1999 | This station serves Terminals 1, 2 & 3 of Madrid Airport. Like Nuevos Ministerios, it is said to be one of the best in Madrid, featuring a picture of Madrid from an aeroplane. The station was originally named Aeropuerto, but was renamed when the Terminal 4 Extension opened. |
| Campo de las Naciones | 24 June 1998 | This station serves the Feria de Madrid and Palacio de Congresos. Events such as the Spanish Motor Show take place at the Feria de Madrid, so the station can become very busy. It is also one of the few stations in Madrid that has an island platform, instead of the normal side platforms. |
Mar de Cristal |
24 June 1998 | For four years, until the Nuevos Ministerios extension was built, transferring here to line 4 was the only way to reach the city centre from the airport by Metro. |
| Pinar del Rey | 15 January 2007 | This station was added to the existing line. It serves a large business area, which was in much need of a metro station. |
Colombia |
21 May 2002 | |
Nuevos Ministerios  |
21 May 2002 | The Station complex features pictures of the city of Madrid on the walls, and is said by many to be the best in the city. It features a large and unique complex where passengers could check in for selected flights at Madrid–Barajas Airport, then board a train to the Airport without having to check in there. This facility was closed in 2006 for security reasons. |
Future of Line 8
Plans exist to extend Line 8 in the future beyond Nuevos Ministerios. Projected stops are:
|
Key:
|
A date for this extension has not yet been given, as it is only in the planning stage. An additional station called Corralejos is planned to be built between Campo de Las Naciones and Aeropuerto T1-T2-T3, where transfer to the planned line 5 extension will be made.
