The European Investment Bank and the Catalan government have signed a EUR 300 million loan agreement for the extension of FGC’s suburban Line 8 in Barcelona, a project aimed at building a four-kilometer tunnel between the Plaça d’Espanya and Gràcia stations. The financing marks a new phase for one of the most significant public transport projects currently underway in the Catalan capital.

The extension will directly connect the Llobregat–Anoia network to central Barcelona and improve connections with other FGC services, the metro, and the tram network.

According to the parties involved, the project should improve access to the city center and reduce travel times.

The project includes the construction of an underground tunnel approximately 4 kilometers long, as well as the construction of new stations and the modernization of existing ones. Previous reports on the investment also mentioned a length of 4.1 kilometers, as well as the construction of two new stations in the Hospital Clínic and Francesc Macià areas, one of the major gateways to downtown Barcelona.

The new infrastructure is designed to minimize surface disruptions during construction and, once operational, to improve public transportation accessibility, particularly in the eastern part of the Eixample neighborhood.

At the end of last year, the EIB was already reviewing the project with a proposed loan of EUR 300 million, out of a total eligible cost of EUR 609 million. It was also noted at that time that construction had begun in 2023, following the award of the construction contract to a consortium comprising Ferrovial, Sacyr, Copisa, and Copcisa.

Now, with the actual signing of the loan, the project is receiving one of the key sources of funding needed to continue the work.

Line 8 is operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and serves as a link between the Llobregat–Anoia corridor and Barcelona. The extension is intended to eliminate some of the current route breaks and provide a more direct connection to the city center.

In the previously presented plan, it is estimated that up to 24 million passengers per year could benefit from this new section, through time savings and better connections between networks.