Barcelona is at the centre of Catalonia’s new €3.3 billion public-private infrastructure plan, announced by President Salvador Illa on Thursday. The funding is meant to speed up key projects across the region, including the central section of Barcelona’s L9 metro, which Illa said could be completed within six years instead of taking up to 25.
The announcement came at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Cercle d’Economia. Illa said €1.8 billion will be tendered immediately, with €500 million set aside for the L9’s central section. A second tranche of €1.5 billion will follow later through other mechanisms.
Other projects named in the plan include the duplication of the C-55 road and the Tarragona tram system. Illa opened his speech by calling for confidence in the region’s future, and pointed to what he described as a period of stability, citing the unblocking of the Barcelona-El Prat Airport expansion and the approval of regional budgets.
He also said the L9 remains a key unfinished piece of Barcelona’s transport network, especially for links between the airport, Zona Franca and other districts. The line’s central section is still seen as crucial for the city’s wider mobility plans. For more Barcelona transport coverage, see Community and Sport.
At the same meeting, Teresa Garcia-Milà, president of the Cercle d’Economia, called for more investment in the defence industry, a new autonomous funding model for Catalonia, and stronger productivity. She also warned that rent controls may help in the short term but could reduce housing supply over time, adding that the administration must protect vulnerable people without shifting that burden onto owners.
Illa also announced a new direct Barcelona-Taipei route, with Starlux Airlines due to launch the service by 2027. It will add to Barcelona’s existing direct links with Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Singapore, strengthening the city’s role as an international travel hub.
Originally published by betevé. Read original article.
