Barcelona Metro line 2

Barcelona Metro line 2
	Passeig de Gràcia station
Overview
Service type	Conventional metro
Locale	Barcelona
First service	1959 (as line II, now part of line 5); 1995 (current route)
Current operator(s)	TMB
Route
Start	Paral·lel
Stops	18
End	Badalona Pompeu Fabra
Distance travelled	13.1 km (8.1 mi)
Average journey time	24 minutes
Technical
Rolling stock	2100, 5000 and 9000 series; based at Triangle ferroviari depot
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Track owner(s)	TMB
Route map

Line 2 is a metro line in Barcelona operated by TMB, coloured purple and sometimes called línia lila. It is part of the city's ATM fare-integrated transport network.

As of 2013, its termini are Paral·lel, in the Sants-Montjuïc district, and Badalona Pompeu Fabra, in Badalona. Plans are underway for a southern extension to Poble-Sec and Montjuïc, and eventually to El Prat airport.

Line 2's architecture bears resemblance to older lines, with its characteristic simplicity and lack of ornament. However, the stations enjoy noticeably better lighting and do incorporate some more modern architectural principles, a symbol of its construction in the 1990s.

Overview

The original plan for Line 2 and Line 5

Portions of Line 2 commenced in the 1950s as line II, now part of Line 5, initially running from La Sagrera-Meridiana station to Vilapicina station. The current L2 was planned in preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympics, to be held on the then-underserved Montjuïc. Delays, however, resulted in an opening dates in 1995, three years after the Games. L2 is the third-newest Metro line in the network, after L11 and the combined L9/L10. All of its stations are underground.

The formation of the modern L2 first began in 1968, when construction commenced to extend the original line II from Sagrada Família station to Poble Sec station, with expected completion in 1971. However, poor planning resulted in significant difficulties in the tunnel's construction. In 1970, it was decided to redirect the original Line II westward and rename it L5, concurrently abandoning the construction of Line II's Gaudí station near the present-day Sagrada Família station. Construction of the tunnel from Sagrada Família station to Sant Antoni halted in 1973. The project was restarted in 1991, which included reconstructing and remodeling stations and tunnels. The reconstruction was completed in 1995, and the following year L2 was extended to Paral·lel station.

By 2016 Line 2 is expected to reach El Prat Airport, in coordination with Line 9's completed extension in 2014. These projects will be El Prat's first connection to the Metro system, supplementing its current connection to the Rodalies commuter rail system. L2 and L9 will share the same route from Terminal entre pistes (Aeroport T1) to Parc Logístic, at which point they will diverge. L9 will then continue to the north toward Zona Universitària station, and L2 will travel to the west, entering the city center.^{[citation needed]}