What was one of the great railway stations of Barcelona, the one of the North, inaugurated in 1862, closed in 1972 and reopened in 1992, but no longer with trains, converted into a sports center, police station and bus terminal, will recover for this last your main access. It is made up of a set of doors in the center of the monumental façade, the result of the modernist reform and extension of 1911, which overlooks Nàpols street. In addition, it will incorporate the noble hall that follows, part of that same intervention, today used by the sports center.
This action is intended to give the bus station –known as Barcelona Nord, managed by the municipal company BSM– the relevance it deserves. Not surprisingly, it is the only one in the city that can be considered as such. It is the terminal of the main lines that connect the Catalan capital with the Peninsula and Europe. In addition, the City Council wants it to be the starting and ending point of discretionary tourist routes by bus instead of the downtown streets. Those that operated in Plaza Catalunya, for example, have already moved.
The opening of this large entrance – now the terminal was accessed through a door on the left side of the main façade itself – and the incorporation of the lobby will allow the rest of the spaces to be reordered to adapt them to the current needs of the users. All this was foreseen in the master plan of the station but it did not have a calendar. Obtaining 4.8 million euros, from European Next Generation funds, and the inclusion of the project in Barcelona's tourism destination sustainability plan, makes it possible to undertake this intervention now. The projects will be drawn up this year and the works will be carried out in 2024 so that in 2025 everything will be ready.
"With this new entrance we highlight the bus station in a point of interest in the center of the city, we contribute to decentralizing tourist transport and we transform the facilities so that users are more comfortable and also for the enjoyment of the neighborhood", highlights Sergi Vidal, director of BSM's professional mobility solutions. This great access, closed for years and barred by several parked motorbike cordons, is right in front of the entrance to the metro and Rodalies de Arc de Triomf, just two stops and one, respectively, from Plaza Catalunya. Surely the space in front of it will have to be adapted to make it more friendly. Today it is an esplanade that does not invite you to go through it – it is at a lower level than the street – and many users of the bus terminal access it through the side entrance of Ali Bei with Sicília.
The spectacular façade of the complex, the work of the architect Demetrio Ribes, is a well-known element of the city. It stands out, above all, for its large glass and iron curtain wall and the ornaments that finish off the whole. But the lobby, which is part of the same extension project signed by the famous Valencian architect, is not so much, since it is not open to the general public. Its 583 square meters are used by the sports center for rhythmic gymnastics and ping-pong, two activities that will continue to have space in this same municipal facility.
The lobby will be attached to the current premises of the bus station, which occupies some 4,000 square meters in the north wing of the old railway terminal. In 2021, taking advantage of the drop in activity due to the pandemic, an area was remodeled to adapt it to the new needs of users. The restaurant was moved and new living spaces were created. To promote use by tourists, a Turisme de Barcelona counter was opened. The idea is that this new interior design will be extended, including the lobby, and that new commercial offers will be added. In the area that will be incorporated, the architecture will be valued and a new offer of restaurants and other services will be opened that attract the public, whether or not they are travelers.
Another notable change will be the closure of the upper floor for users, which will entail the elimination of the access escalators. Having the large hall provides the necessary area for the terminal. Thus, everything will be at street level and on the platforms, with which travelers will gain comfort. On that second level, of about 1,900 square meters, are the ticket offices and offices of some operating companies, but there is a lot of empty, unused surface. It must be borne in mind that the issuance of tickets has changed a lot in recent times. Now practically everything is done online or with vending machines.
BSM studies what use to give to this upper floor. It will probably be used for economic activity –offices– which in part could be for transport companies. In any case, it is a matter of obtaining economic returns from this space and, thus, contributing to the financial sustainability of the station, the company points out.
Passenger flows will also be ordered, especially at the accesses to the platforms, which in some time slots are crowded. It is studied only to open them moments before the arrival or departure of the buses and coaches. It is also being evaluated that the current door that leads to Ali Bei with Sicily is only for exiting and that all entrances to the premises are made through the large access on the main façade.
The recovery of pre-pandemic passenger volumes is already a fact. The Barcelona Nord bus station received in 2022 a number of passengers only 3% less than in 2019, exactly 2,174,000. Of this figure, 1,945,000 were on regular lines, 10% less than three years ago, and 230,000 on discretionary routes, 275% more. Regarding expeditions -departures and arrivals of vehicles- 127,000 were registered last year, 6% less than before the covid crisis. Currently, 30 operating companies that offer some 60 lines work in the terminal, among them, in Catalonia, those of Cardedeu, Lleida, Tossa, La Roca Village, Blanes or l'Escala; in the rest of Spain, Madrid, with a stop in Zaragoza, or Valencia; and the international ones of Andorra, Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Genoa or Milan. The expansion of the low-cost high-speed rail offer on the Barcelona-Zaragoza-Madrid corridor has made the bus less attractive on this route, but it is being offset by more trips to foreign destinations. The terminal has connections with ten countries.
The updating of the station includes other improvements such as the coverage of the bus access ramp in Ali Bei with a tunnel that prevents the passage of pedestrians. Access on foot is prohibited – a sign makes it very clear – but many ignore it, creating dangerous situations. Photovoltaic panels will be installed on top of the new structure as well as the canopies that cover the platforms. The enclosure already has geothermal energy.
