Madrid Metro Line 10 - Tres Olivos

[Uzair]

Hi all.

I have been trying to understand why on the Line 10 of the Madrid Metro, if one wants to travel past Tres Olivos, they must change trains here. I remember seeing the 'Change of train' symbol on the maps when visiting the city in 2008, and just stumbled on it again.

A video on YouTube shows a train leaving the bay platform at Tres Olivos (from the rear cab), travelling towards Hospital Infanta Sofia. From the video, it appears that the main line from Fuencarral is physically connected to the line to Hospital Infanta Sofia, so I am just confused as to why trains heading north from Puerta Del Sur terminate at Tres Olivos and do not run through to Hospital Infanta Sofia.

Any clarification would be appreciated!

 

[TRAX]

This is because the northern part of line 10 is much quieter than the main part, so in order to separate the two different flows, the line is separated into two sections (MetroMadrid for the main part and MetroNorte for the northern leg).

This isn’t the only station where a transfer is necessary, for the same reason. Other stations are Estadio Metropolitano on line 7 (when entering/leaving the MetroEste section), and Puerta de Arganda on line 9 (when entering/leaving the TFM section which is very lightly used as it’s basically in the desert).

 

[edwin_m]

For me the most ridiculous thing is that everyone has to pile through a ticket barrier. I presume it was originally intended that these would enforce a higher fare for journeys passing through a "zone boundary", rather like the airport barriers don't let you in or out unless the supplement has been paid. But I'm pretty sure there was a flat fare across the system (except the airport) when I visited in 2015 and 2018.

 

[TRAX]

No there is a slight difference in fares on the MetroEste, MetroNorte, MetroSur, TFM, and on the light rail network.
And each of these sections has its own fare system.

 

[edwin_m]

No there is a slight difference in fares on the MetroEste, MetroNorte, MetroSur, TFM, and on the light rail network.
And each of these sections has its own fare system.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm sure I travelled all the way from Las Tablas to Atocha on one ticket. But perhaps when I realised next time it was quicker to change at Nuevos Ministerios, it explains why I had to buy a new ticket! The Madrid ticketing system seemed a little crazy - I had to buy a smartcard but could only charge it up for travel on the same day!