BarcelonaThere are only a few days left until Barça play their first match at Montjuïc, the mountain that will be their temporary home while the bulk of the Camp Nou remodeling works last, at least until November 2024. A logistical challenge that will involve the displacement of almost 50,000 fans who fit in the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium. The premiere will be against Tottenham, on Tuesday, August 8, on the occasion of the Joan Gamper Trophy. “The mountain is ready,” says Xavi Patón, Barcelona City Council’s Mobility manager, who appeared alongside Jordi Portavella, director of sustainability for the Barcelona team. How can it be accessed? These are the key points of the mobility plan:
It will not be accessible by car
From three hours before the game, private vehicles will not have access to the mountain, except for those cars that are specifically accredited by the club or those with reduced mobility. Private cars will not be able to go to Montjuïc and will have to stay in the car parks around Plaça Espanya and Fira Gran Via.
Fair car parks, the recommended option for those coming from outside Barcelona
With capacity for 2,000 vehicles, the car parks will be chargeable, but in particular those at Fira Gran Via have the possibility to purchase a reservation in advance – for a match day or for the whole season. Prices that the club has not defined but which it qualifies as “affordable”. The service is mainly aimed at viewers who come from outside Barcelona. These users will have priority to access and exit the car park. From this point, one of the shuttle buses leaves for the stadium.
Other parking lots
Those located in Rius i Taulet, Poble Espanyol and Ciutat del Teatre-Montjuïc are also options for leaving the vehicle, although the club does not promote them because they have a much smaller capacity: only 700 vehicles. In this case, the rate will be standard.
Capacity for 3,500 motorbikes
The only private vehicle that will be able to access the mountain are motorbikes, which have 3,500 parking spaces near the stadium, which are between 5 and 10 minutes’ walk away. They will have free access until the places are sold out. Users, as detailed by Barça, will be able to enter the field with a helmet.
Shuttle buses from two points
They will leave from two points: Plaza España and Fira Gran Via, with a frequency of between 3 and 4 minutes, and will be available from two hours before the game and up to an hour and a half after. There will be 17 vehicles in total. The service will be free, but you will need to show your ticket to use it. The maximum capacity is 4,400 people/hour, which means that 8,000 to 9,000 people will use it.
The funicular, unknown and recommended option
For users who access the stadium from the Parallel, they have the resource of the funicular, which will have a capacity of around 8,000 spectators. From the funicular to the stadium is about a 10-minute walk. Portavella and Patón have insisted on it as an option unknown to many but highly recommended.
Half of the attendees will have to go up on foot
Barça and the City Council have planned for the majority of spectators, approximately half of the 45,000 who will fit in Montjuïc, to go to the stadium on foot, leaving from Plaça Espanya. The journey will last about 20 minutes and the escalators will be reversible. In other words, they will go up before the game, and down when it’s over. In total, they can absorb around 20,000 people per hour.
Biking, scooter and taxi
The Bicing stops have also been expanded, there is the option of riding a scooter and taxis will be able to hail near the stadium. The total cost of the actions of this mobility plan is 5.9 million (1.8 for maintenance and 4.1 for investment). Of these, 3.3 are given by Barça and 2.6 by the City Council.
Reinforcement of the metro and the bus
As was the case on match days at Camp Nou, public transport (metro and bus) will be reinforced and service hours will be extended, especially on days when matches end late.
Pre-match activities to promote early access
Barça is working, although it has not yet closed, to offer activities around the stadium and thus promote that fans arrive on time. In this way, collapses will be avoided in the minutes before the game.
Two hours to get everyone up
According to the calculations, around 1,500 people will go to the stadium in authorized vehicles. About 4,000 will go up with the shuttle that leaves from Carrer del Foc, 4,000 more with the Plaça Espanya shuttle and 8,000 will go up with the funicular. There will be 3,500 motorbikes and the rest, about 20,000, will go up on foot or with a scooter. “The different options far exceed the 45,000 seats in the stadium. By optimizing resources, it would be possible to get everyone up in one hour. Therefore, with the two hours planned, we consider it a reasonable time,” said Portavella.
Exit “will be smooth”
The funicular, the shuttle buses and the escalators will be operational until an hour and a half after the matches. Club and City Council guarantee that the exit from Montjuïc “will be smooth” and believe that in 60 minutes the mountain can be completely cleared. The trial by fire, on Tuesday the 8th at the Gamper.
2023-08-04 11:24:15
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