Since the 90’s there have been different projects and plans to extend the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid to the north, these proposals have been popularly known as “Operation Chamartin”, currently and since 2017 the joint project of the specific modification of the General Urban Development Plan of Madrid (PGOUM) of 1997 in the north of Madrid is known as Madrid Nuevo Norte.

Madrid Nuevo Norte is an action of complete urban transformation of the north of the capital, designed to improve the quality of life of citizens, creating a more efficient, sustainable and prosperous Madrid, this transformation will be developed through the urbanization projects of the different planning areas defined in the punctual modification of the PGOUM of 1997.

The urbanization project of the specific planning area A.P.E. 05.31 Centro de Negocios includes the covering of the Chamartín station tracks, specifically the covering of the north tracks of the Madrid – Chamartín – Clara Campoamor station.

The covering of the tracks has a double function: on the one hand, to eliminate the scar generated by the railroad tracks in the urban fabric by defining a structure that allows the flow between the margins of the tracks and, on the other hand, to support the future green lung of the north of Madrid, the Central Park of Madrid Nuevo Norte.

The tracks covering project has a strong structural character, since its main scope is the structural definition of the track covering and the definition of the safety and protection installations necessary for the proper operation of Chamartín station.

The covering of the northern head of Chamartín has an approximate area of 158,000 m², with a total length of approximately 900 m and a variable width between 150 and 300 m approximately, and is bounded by Avenida de Burgos and Calle del Bambú to the east, by Calle Agustín de Foxá to the west, by Calle 30 to the north and by Chamartín station to the south.

The structure of the covering consists of a series of prefabricated frames, perpendicular to the tracks, located every 8 to 10 meters, formed by prefabricated beams supported on piles with deep foundations defined by piles braced by pile caps, on which are supported a slab executed in situ with pre-slab type formwork.

The positioning of the piles has been carried out respecting the railway gauges and in coordination with the track yard remodeling projects currently being developed by ADIF.

The elements that form the substructure (foundations and piles) are executed in situ, with the conventional auxiliary means for these structural elements, and of the elements that form the superstructure, the prefabricated beams and pre-slabs are assembled using large-caliber cranes, either from outside the track yard or from the roof itself, and the compression slab is executed in situ.

The roofing project also has 13 evacuation stairways that connect the track yard with the upper face of the roof, allowing the evacuation of the track yard in less than 13 minutes, and 7 ventilation stations that are responsible, on the one hand, for smoke extraction in case of fire, and on the other hand, for the ventilation of the space generated between the tracks and the roof during the operation of the station.