Príncipe Pío metro station
Line 6 (Circular), Line 10 and Ramal · Zone A · Moncloa-Aravaca
Príncipe Pío station
Before it became a transport hub, this site was the estación del Norte, the Madrid terminus of the Madrid-Irún railway. Its first passenger building, on Paseo de la Florida, opened on 16 July 1882, and the second, flanked by two towers on the Cuesta de San Vicente, in 1928. For decades trains left from here for the Cantabrian coast, Castile and Portugal, until the last express to Galicia departed on 30 January 1993. Works devised by the engineer Javier Bustinduy opened up a large space beneath the canopies for metro lines 6 and 10.
The metro station kept the name Norte until 23 December 1994, and in 1995 the complex was inaugurated as Príncipe Pío, in honour of Francisco Pío de Saboya y Moura. It is also the terminus of the Ramal, the shuttle line that links it with Ópera. The old train shed and the 1882 building became a shopping centre, opened on 22 October 2004; the underground bus interchange beneath Paseo de la Florida opened on 8 May 2007, and the 1928 building reopened in 2020, after 27 years of neglect, as the Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío. From 31 May to 5 September 2025 the Line 6 platforms were closed for automation works.
First and last train at Príncipe Pío
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday and public holidays first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L6 platform 1 | 06:08 – last not published (last printed 23:25) | 06:08 – 01:55 | 06:08 – 01:55 | 06:08 – last not published (last printed 23:25) |
| L6 platform 2 | 06:05 – last not published (last printed 23:25) | 06:05 – 01:55 | 06:05 – 01:55 | 06:05 – last not published (last printed 23:25) |
| L10 towards Puerta del Sur | 06:08 – 02:14 | 06:08 – 02:14 | 06:08 – 02:14 | 06:08 – 02:14 |
| L10 towards Tres Olivos | 06:05 – 01:51 | 06:05 – 01:51 | 06:05 – 01:51 | 06:05 – 01:51 |
| R towards Ópera | 06:05 – 01:33 | 06:05 – 01:33 | 06:05 – 01:33 | 06:05 – 01:33 |
On the circular lines, Metro de Madrid's timetable sheet only prints departures up to 0:00 on the days shown, although trains keep running after that every 15 minutes: the operator does not publish the time of the last train, and we do not estimate it.
Departure times at this station from the timetables Metro de Madrid publishes for the current season. Public holidays follow the Sunday timetable.
How often the trains run
Interval between trains as published by Metro de Madrid for the whole line; on branches and at the outer ends it can be longer.
Stations next to Príncipe Pío
Travel time between Príncipe Pío and the stations on either side.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| L6 | ArgüellesES | 2.5 min |
| L6 | Puerta del ÁngelES | 2.8 min |
| L10 | LagoES | 2.3 min |
| L10 | Plaza de España | 1.8 min |
| R | Ópera | 2 min |
Interchanges and connections
- Metro: change here between Line 6, Line 10 and the Ramal.
- Other transport: Cercanías (Renfe commuter rail), intercity buses and long-distance coaches.
Station facilities
- Accessible station
- Lifts
- Escalators
- Defibrillator
- Mobile phone coverage
- Transport card (TTP) office
- Cash machines
- ONCE lottery kiosks
As listed on Metro de Madrid’s page for the station.
Entrances to Príncipe Pío
The station’s street entrances and their addresses, as Metro de Madrid gives them (street names stay in Spanish, as on the signs).
| Ticket hall | Entrance | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Paseo de la Florida | Renfe | Glass doors on level -1, to the left of the ticket gates |
| Paseo de la Florida | Lift | Pº de la Florida, 2 |
| Paseo de la Florida | Transport interchange | Pº de la Florida, 2 |
| Renfe | Renfe | Metro / Renfe boundary in the shared hall |
What is near Príncipe Pío
Metro, Cercanías, regional (Media Distancia) trains to the north and the Intercambiador de Príncipe Pío bus hub, about 110 m away, with buses to the west and south-west of the region, all meet here. Within the complex itself are the Centro Comercial Príncipe Pío shopping centre, about 100 m away, and the Gran Teatro Caixabank Príncipe Pío, about 130 m. Outside are the Puerta de San Vicente, about 90 m away, the Jardines Aniceto Marinas, about 190 m, the Sala Temple, the Puente del Rey, about 280 m, and, about 400 m away, the Jardines del Campo del Moro and the Temple of Debod.
| Place | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|
| Puerta de San Vicente | 90 m |
| Puente del Rey | 280 m |
| Jardines del Campo del Moro | 400 m |
| Templo de Debod | 400 m |
| Centro Comercial Príncipe Pío | 100 m |
| Intercambiador de Príncipe Pío | 110 m |
| Gran Teatro Caixabank Príncipe Pío | 130 m |
| Madrid-Príncipe Pío | 130 m |
Places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m, under their local (Spanish) names.
Frequently asked questions
Because it occupies the former estación del Norte, the Madrid terminus of the Madrid-Irún railway. The metro station kept that name until 23 December 1994; when the new interchange opened in 1995 it was renamed Príncipe Pío, in honour of Francisco Pío de Saboya y Moura.
It is the passenger building that the estación del Norte put up in 1928 for departing passengers. After 27 years of neglect it reopened, restored and refurbished, in 2020 as the Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío, about 130 m from the metro station.