Barcelona City Council and the ATM have approved a controversial modification of the tram route in the Glòries area. The new design involves a zigzag route between Glòries and Gran Via, moving the current Glòries junction to the pedestrianised area of the central promenade of the Diagonal.
The association Promoció del Transport Public (PTP) has criticised this project, which is estimated to cost 32 million euros, for its inefficiency. According to PTP, the new route will force the tram to run at less than 7 km/h for 700 metres, resulting in a loss of 145,500 hours per year for users.
The PTP argues that the most logical option would be a straight-line link, which would save more than three minutes each way. In addition, they point out that the project will worsen the surface public transport service, affecting trams and buses and creating a bottleneck that will limit the growth of the entire network.
The association urges an immediate halt to this reform and reconsidering the design of the Glòries interchange, opting for a model of maximum capacity and efficiency for public transport.
