Nuevos Ministerios is a major multimodal rail station on the Madrid Metro and the CercanÃÂas Madrid commuter rail network. It is located beneath the Nuevos Ministerios (New Ministries) government complex and the AZCA financial centre at the junction of the Paseo de la Castellana and JoaquÃÂn Costa and Raimundo Fernández Villaverde streets in Madrid, Spain. It services the districts of Tetuán, ChamberÃÂ, and ChamartÃÂn. The station serves Metro Line 6, Line 8, and Line 10, as well as CercanÃÂas Lines C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-7, C-8, and C-10. It is located in Metro fare zone A and CercanÃÂas fare zone 0.
The railway station currently used by CercanÃÂas Madrid was inaugurated on 18 July 1967 as part of the original AtochaâÂÂChamartÃÂn Rail Tunnel. The tunnel connected the long-distance rail stations of ChamartÃÂn and Atocha, and was popularly called the Túnel de la risa (Laughing Tunnel) due to its perceived similarity to an amusement park attraction.
The Metro station opened twelve years later on 10 October 1979 when the first segment of Line 6 was inaugurated, running from Cuatro Caminos to PacÃÂfico and including a stop at Nuevos Ministerios. The Metro and CercanÃÂas stations are connected underground with hallways.
On 10 June 1982, a second set of platforms was added to the Metro station when the first segment of the old Line 8 was inaugurated, running from Fuencarral to Nuevos Ministerios. In 1986, the old Line 8 was extended from Nuevos Ministerios to Avenida de América. However, in 1996, work began on a project to connect Line 10 and Line 8, absorbing Line 8 into Line 10, and Line 8 service between Nuevos Ministerios and Avenida de América was suspended. On 22 January 1998, the new combined Line 10 was opened, connecting the station to Fuencarral in the north and Aluche in the south.
In 2001, the Line 10 platforms were closed while Line 10 was converted from narrow-profile to wide-profile trains. Also in 2001, work began on a project to extend the current Line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios, providing more direct access from downtown Madrid to the Adolfo Suárez MadridâÂÂBarajas Airport, which is located on Line 8. The Line 8 platforms were inaugurated in 2002. Between 2002 and 2006, the station featured a service allowing passengers to check in for selected flights at Nuevos Ministerios and then board a train to the airport. The service was ultimately abandoned for security reasons.
On 9 July 2008, a second tunnel was added to the AtochaâÂÂChamartÃÂn Rail Tunnel, increasing the number of CercanÃÂas platforms to six. As of 2011, the station offers service on the CercanÃÂas C-1 Line to Aeropuerto T4, meaning there are two direct rail services between Nuevos Ministerios and Barajas Airport. The CercanÃÂas station currently serves Lines C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-7, C-8, and C-10.
The vestibule between Metro Line 8 and 10 and the CercanÃÂas station is large enough that it is occasionally used for events and shows.