The story
Founded by Biscay Transport Consortium in 1995.1
Background and early proposals
The first proposal for building a metro system in Bilbao was made in the 1920s. The network was planned to have two lines connecting Atxuri station with the westernmost parts of the city (at the time), each running via a different route. Banco Español de Crédito, which was to have backed the project financially, withdrew in 1925; rendering the project infeasible. The proposal for a metro system was definitively abandoned after the civil war.
In 1971 the government of Biscay, the Bilbao City Council and the Commerce Bureau created a commission to evaluate the transportation needs of Greater Bilbao. In 1974, the Spanish government pledged to give financial support to a metro project.
In 1976, the Biscay Transport Consortium was created. Two years later, in 1977, three proposals were made to build a metro line by 1985. Of these proposals, the first one was almost identical to the current network. The project for the construction of a metro was approved in 1977. However, many objections were raised against it, which together with disagreements between different institutions put the project on hold.
In 1983 the Basque Government approved a plan for transportation on the right bank of the Estuary of Bilbao, but its execution was delayed. The document was rewritten in 1985, and in 1987 the plan to build and fund the Metro was approved.
A company, Metro Bilbao, was established on 18 February 1993 with a capital of 10 million pesetas and the Biscay Transport Consortium as its only shareholder. It is owned by the Biscay Transport Consortium, itself dependent on the Basque Government and the Foral Deputation of Biscay. The ownership of the metro infrastructure is shared by the Biscay Transport Consortium and Euskal Trenbide Sarea. The Basque narrow-gauge railway network in which the Bilbao Metro has its origins (Line 1 took over most of the existing Bilbao-Plentzia railway) had been managed by Basque Railways (known as Euskotren after 1996) since 1982. However, a separate company was established to manage the metro.
The management of the Metro system by an independent company was a result of the 1975 law that established the Biscay Transport Consortium and the 1983 Law of Historical Territories. The creation of a separate company has been criticized as a political decision that left Basque Railways in a weaker position (the Bilbao-Plentzia line was the busiest of its network) and that hindered the reuse of existing infrastructures (particularly in the Txorierri line).
Construction
A metro system was deemed to be the best way to improve congestion problems in the evolving and regenerating city. The design for the underground stations was awarded to the architects Sir Norman Foster and partners in 1988 following an open competition.
The construction of the first line involved converting to rapid transit standards Euskotren's existing suburban railway line between San Ignazio and Plentzia. The first works started in late 1988, with the existing Erandio station being put underground. In the city itself, a new tunnel was built between San Ignazio and Casco Viejo. The central Plaza Elíptica was closed to pedestrians from 1990 to 1997 due to construction activity. The works were especially complicated in the neighborhoods of Deusto and San Inazio, where the cut and cover tunnel excavation slightly damaged some buildings, was very noisy, and caused severe traffic disruptions. This method of excavation contrasted with the tunnel-boring machines used elsewhere in the city.
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Line 1
The first stretch of Line 1 was opened on 11 November 1995, with 23 stations between Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo and Plentzia. The tracks outside Bilbao were previously part of Euskotren's Bilbao-Plentzia line, with parts of the alignment dating from 1887.
By 5 July 1997 the total number of stations was 27 as Santutxu, Basarrate and Bolueta joined Gobela which had opened the previous year.
After the conversion of the Bilbao-Plentzia railway into a rapid transit line, two level crossings remained. The works to remove the first, in the Maidagan neighborhood of Getxo, lasted from 2010 to 2012. The other remaining level crossing, located in Urduliz, was removed between 2015 and 2017; the works involved the construction of a new underground station in Urduliz. In 2020, Ibarbengoa station opened to the public. It was built in 2012, at the same time as the Maidagan level crossing was put underground, but the opening was delayed until its park and ride facilities were built.
Line 2
The first line, which runs north of the estuary, was later joined by a second line serving the southern bank of the river. It shares tracks with Line 1 within Bilbao, splitting at San Ignazio, from where it runs to Santurtzi. The first five stations (Gurutzeta/Cruces, Ansio, Barakaldo, Bagatza and Urbinaga) opened on 13 April 2002. The line was extended northwards to Sestao and eastwards to Etxebarri (Etxebarri is also served by Line 1) in early 2005. To the north, Portugalete and Abatxolo opened in 2007; followed by Peñota and Santurtzi in 2009. Two more stations were added to the south in 2011: Ariz in February and Basauri in November. The final extension took place in 2014, with the opening of Kabiezes as the northern terminus of the line.
Line 3
Following the commencement of works in the middle of 2009, it was inaugurated on 8 April 2017. It cost 279 million euros, significantly more than the original 153 million euro budget. and was expected to transport 71,000 people according to Bilbao council. The third line has a length of 5.885 km (3.657 mi) and has one station in Etxebarri: Kukullaga-Etxebarri, and six stations in Bilbao: Otxarkoaga, Txurdinaga, Zurbaranbarri, Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo, Uribarri and Matiko. Euskotren Trena operates the line and also provides commuter rail services along it. That was the original intention when Line 3 was tendered in 2009, but it was later announced that Metro Bilbao would be the operator. In 2013, Euskotren was reconfirmed as the operator.
Extensions to existing lines
The construction of a new depot in Ortuella was proposed in 2010. Together with the construction of the depot, a new station could be built, extending Line 2 from Kabiezes. Further extensions to the line have been tentatively discarded.
Line 1 might be extended eastwards to Sarratu, in Basauri. This station will provide an interchange with the Euskotren Trena suburban rail network. The station will be built together with Line 5 of the metro, originally proposed as an extension of Line 1, but which will ultimately be built as an extension of Line 3. Consequently, Sarratu will become the eastern terminus of Line 1.
There are plans to extend Line 3 to the airport, taking advantage of the double-tracked tunnel built under Mount Artxanda opened in 2017. The first phase would involve rebuilding Sondika station in order to allow trains on the Txorierri line to travel between Matiko and Lezama without the need to reverse. In a second phase, a new underground branch would be built under the runway from Sondika to the airport terminal.
Line 4 project
The preliminary layout of the future Line 4 (Eliptikoa/Rekalde) was presented on 25 January 2008. The preliminary layout suggests that Eliptikoa Station, which gives service to Line 1 and Line 2, will connect with Rekalde with two intermediate stations: Zabalburu (which has a suburban rail station) and Irala. There have been discussions about the ramifications of whether to connect with either Eliptikoa Station or Bilbao Abando Station, this is due to the fact that Rekalde did not have a Metro connection. Line 3 was planned to connect Rekalde with the rest of the city, but the final plan moved the line in another direction.
The plan to add Rekalde to Line 3 was halted, and the route completely altered. This change was criticised, especially by people from Rekalde. In 2009 a new layout for a new line (Line 4) was considered; this new line would connect Rekalde with the Plaza Elíptica and the latter station with Deusto, taking advantage of the rail tracks of Euskotren Trena, that are in that zone. Matiko station would be connected too. The line would then have the Plaza Euskadi Station ("Euskadi Square Station") after Plaza Elíptica and then cross the river to Deusto (Deusto Station) and a new station in the University of Deusto campus (Unibersitatea), to then reach Matiko (Line 3).
On 5 December 2025, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Basque Government revealed the specifics of an agreement concerning the construction and financing of Line 4. The approved design will connect Matiko and Alonsotegi via the University of Deusto campus, Doña Casilda Iturrizar Park, Plaza Elíptica, Zabalburu, Irala and Rekalde. Construction is expected to begin in late 2027. The agreement includes a commitment to handling all procedures to incorporate the rail infrastructure currently managed by the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias in order to further extend the line to Enkarterri, with additional stations in Basurto, Zorrotza, Santa Ageda, Kastrexana, and Iraulegi (in the municipality of Alonsotegi).
Line 5 project
The preliminary layout for Line 5 was also presented on 25 January 2008. This new line would connect Etxebarri with Galdakao, with a total of five stations (Etxebarri, Aperribai, Galdakao, Galdakao Hospital and Usansolo). Later on, another station was proposed for the Bengoetxe neighborhood of Galdakao. In 2010, at the time of the tendering of the project, the opening of the line was planned for 2016. Sarratu was proposed as the new western terminus of the line, providing an interchange with line 1 and the Euskotren Trena network. The construction of the line was repeatedly delayed due to a lack of funds, in 2017 the opening of the line was expected to occur no earlier than 2026.
In 2018, a proposal was made to convert the existing Euskotren railway line between Usansolo and Etxebarri to metro standards. In early 2019, the new project for the line was presented. It would involve moving the existing Euskotren line to a new underground alignment between Sarratu and Usansolo, serving as a de facto extension of Line 3. Five new stations were planned: Sarratu, Aperribai, Bengoetxe, Galdakao and Galdakao Hospital. In late 2022, the works for the first three sections of the line, between Sarratu and Galdakao Hospital, were tendered for 240 million euro. The works for the third section had to be retendered in March 2023 due to errors in the original budget. As of early 2022, the opening of the line from Sarratu to Galdakao is planned for 2027, while the whole line (including its connection with the Euskotren mainline) is expected to open by 2029.
Shuttle connection between Areeta and Sestao stations
In 2022, it was announced that a tunnel under the estuary would be completed by 2028. It would incorporate a shuttle train that would travel between the Areeta (Line 1) and Sestao (Line 2) stations in four minutes. Initially, work on the tunnel was scheduled to begin in summer 2024, with an investment of 450 million euros planned. However, due to delays, work on the tunnel for motorised traffic is expected to begin in the first half of 2026, and the future of the shuttle train is unclear.
From Wikipedia’s article on Metro Bilbao (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4