The Government of the Balearic Islands has initiated the public consultation period for the project of a new metro line that will connect central Palma with Son Espases University Hospital. This Saturday’s Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) includes the publication of the resolution by which the preliminary approval is granted and the informative study for the expansion of the metro network with this new infrastructure is submitted for public consultation.

The Government’s Directorate General for Mobility has thus opened the public consultation period for the informative study and the strategic environmental document, for a period of 45 working days from the publication of the notice, during which objections or comments may be submitted regarding this project. The project was recently presented and falls within the framework of the Mobility Sector Master Plan of the Balearic Islands.

As reported by the President of the Government, Margalida Prohens, together with the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, during the presentation of the project, this expansion of the metro network will connect central Palma with Son Espases University Hospital—in a journey of 10 minutes from the intermodal station—and will extend to the Secar de la Real and Son Serra Perera areas.

The future metro line, with an estimated demand of 3 million passengers per year, will strengthen rail connectivity with various neighborhoods, industrial estates, business, industrial and sports areas, as well as healthcare and educational facilities. The line will cover approximately 6 kilometers, of which 4 will be newly built, entirely underground. The initial section will run through three existing stations.

The route will start at Palma’s intermodal station and continue through the current stations of Jacint Verdaguer and Son Costa. From this point onwards, the line will include four new stations connecting strategic locations:

• Son Hugo / Son Pardo, located near administrative and sports facilities, and which will facilitate access for users of the future City of Justice.
• Son Rossinyol / Son Pacs, with connections to the industrial estate and the area’s economic activity zone.
• Son Espases, with direct access to the University Hospital via a concourse with an exit into the hospital complex.
• Secar de la Real / Son Serra Perera, which will facilitate access to this residential area, business centers, and healthcare facilities such as Palmaplanas Hospital and the future university center of CEU San Pablo University.

The commissioning of this new line will promote the use of public transport, with the aim of fostering more sustainable mobility, reducing dependence on private vehicles for travel within Palma, and helping to ease traffic congestion on the Via de Cintura ring road.

In addition, in terms of its route, the selected alternative is also part of a strategic long-term vision, as it will enable potential future extensions of the urban rail network toward the western (Ponent) area and reinforce the role of the metro as the backbone of metropolitan mobility in Palma.

The informative study, which includes an analysis of alternatives and the proposed selected route, constitutes the first step in defining the most suitable solution, based on technical, environmental, social, and economic parameters, for the future line. The submission of the informative study complies with railway legislation, as it is an essential prerequisite for implementing a rail infrastructure, and its preliminary approval marks the beginning of the public consultation period.

The future metro line to Son Espases has an estimated budget of €230 million, which could reach €300 million if the purchase of five new train units is included. Construction is expected to begin in 2029, with an estimated duration of more than three years (until 2033), once the processes for drafting construction projects and tendering have been completed.