Barcelona is marking the centenary of two events that fell on 10 June 1926, the death of architect Antoni Gaudí and the opening of the first four-kilometre section of the Metropolitano Transversal, the city’s second metro line and the precursor to today’s L1.
Gaudí was hit by a tram on 7 June 1926 on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, between Bailèn and Girona streets, while on his way to Sant Felip Neri church to pray and meet his confessor, Father Agustí Mas i Folch. Because of his dishevelled appearance and lack of identification, people first thought he was homeless, and a Civil Guard stopped a taxi that took him to the Hospital de la Santa Creu.
He was unconscious after the accident. At the hospital, Father Gil Parés i Vilasau of the Sagrada Família recognised him. Gaudí died at the age of 73, his funeral took place on 12 June, and thousands attended. He was buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Família.
The Metropolitano Transversal began construction in 1923. According to Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, TMB, it was Barcelona’s second underground line after the Gran Metropolitano, now L3, which opened on 30 December 1924 between Catalunya and Lesseps. The Transversal was designed to link eastern Barcelona with the metropolitan municipalities of Besòs.
The first section, known at the time as the Transversal, covered 4,063 metres and had nine stations: Bordeta, Mercat Nou, Sants, now Plaça de Sants, Hostafrancs, Espanya, Rocafort, Universitat and Catalunya. Bordeta station no longer exists. In 1932, the line was extended at both ends with the opening of Urquinaona, Triunfo Norte, now Arc de Triomf, and Bordeta Cocheras, which later gave way to Santa Eulàlia.
Today, the L1 runs between Hospital de Bellvitge and Fondo, covering 20.7 kilometres and 30 stations across L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona and Santa Coloma de Gramenet. It is the only line in the network built to Iberian gauge. The line’s construction was also marked by a major accident on 12 April 1924, when a tunnel collapse between Bordeta and Plaça de Catalunya killed 11 workers and injured 12 others.
For more Barcelona coverage, see our news page. For background on the metro network, readers can also check TMB’s official site at tmb.cat and the Sagrada Família’s official site at sagradafamilia.org.
