Palma de Mallorca Backs New Second Metro Line to Son Espases

Palma de Mallorca is moving ahead with a new second metro line connecting the city’s central transport hub to Son Espases University Hospital, a flagship project that signals a major expansion of the island’s urban rail network and long term transit vision.

A New Line M2 Anchored at Plaça d’Espanya

Publicly available information indicates that the Balearic regional government has confirmed the development of a new metro Line M2 for Palma de Mallorca, conceived as a dedicated route rather than an extension of the existing M1 corridor. The planned line will start from the Intermodal Station at Plaça d’Espanya, the heart of Palma’s rail and bus operations, reinforcing the hub’s status as the focal point of mobility on the island.

Reports describe a Line M2 alignment of around 6 kilometers running from the city centre to Secar de la Real, with a sequence of new stops that will serve dense residential and mixed use districts on Palma’s northwestern edge. The route is expected to pass key urban facilities including the municipal pools at Son Hugo, the Son Pardo racecourse and the Son Rossinyol industrial area before arriving at Son Espases University Hospital.

Regional planning documents and recent coverage frame the project as part of a broader strategy to improve public transport links between Palma’s historic core and its outer neighborhoods. By adding a second urban metro corridor, the government aims to relieve pressure on surface traffic, which continues to grow with both local commuting and tourism related activity.

The new M2 will coexist with the Palma Metro’s existing Line M1, which links Plaça d’Espanya with the Universitat de les Illes Balears and, since 2025, the Parc Bit technology park. Together, the two lines would form a small but increasingly interconnected network, feeding into the Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca regional rail services that span much of the island.

Timeline, Investment and Capacity Forecasts

According to recent reporting on the project presentation in March 2026, the Balearic government expects construction of Line M2 to begin in 2029, following the completion of technical studies, environmental procedures and public consultation. The target entry into service is around 2033, outlining a multi year delivery window that reflects the engineering complexity of a partially underground alignment in a built up urban context.

The investment for the new metro corridor is estimated at about 300 million euros. This figure positions the Son Espases line alongside other large scale rail initiatives on the island, including the planned Palma Llucmajor corridor and the Palma Alcúdia tram train extension, which are together reshaping Mallorca’s medium term rail map. Officials have indicated in public forums that the broader railway programme for the island is framed around a multi year budget envelope surpassing one billion euros.

Ridership forecasts reported in local media project that Line M2 could carry in the region of three million passengers annually once fully operational. A significant share of this demand is expected to come from hospital staff, patients and visitors, who currently rely heavily on car or bus access to the hillside Son Espases campus. Additional flows are anticipated from residents of Secar de la Real and adjacent neighborhoods who will gain a direct rail link to Plaça d’Espanya.

When combined with existing M1 usage and the SFM regional rail network, the new line is expected to produce a noticeable uplift in overall rail patronage on Mallorca. Earlier data published for 2025 indicated more than 11 million passenger journeys across the metro and SFM services; projections reported by specialist rail media suggest that the arrival of Line M2 could increase that total by roughly a quarter in the years following opening.

Connecting Health Care, Neighborhoods and Employment Hubs

For Palma residents, the defining feature of the new metro line is its terminus at Son Espases University Hospital, the island’s main public healthcare complex. Perched on the northern edge of the city, the hospital is a major employment center and a critical destination for patients from across Mallorca. At present it is primarily served by road, with congestion on key access routes frequently highlighted in local debate.

By extending rail services directly to Son Espases, the project aims to provide an alternative to private car use for both shift workers and visitors, potentially easing pressure on parking and arterial roads. Travel times from Plaça d’Espanya to the hospital by metro are expected to be competitive with or faster than current bus journeys during peak periods, making the service attractive for everyday commuting.

The intermediate stops planned along the corridor are also central to the project’s rationale. Areas such as Son Rossinyol, home to logistics and commercial activities, and the Son Pardo and Son Hugo sports facilities will gain higher capacity public transport, opening options for event goers and employees who currently depend on buses or car travel. Urban planners have noted in published strategies that better transit access could support incremental redevelopment, densification or public realm improvements around these nodes over time.

In addition, the line will improve the connection between peripheral districts like Secar de la Real and the historic city centre. Residents of these neighborhoods are likely to benefit from a single seat ride to Plaça d’Espanya, where they can transfer quickly to regional trains, interurban buses and the existing M1 metro services towards the university and Parc Bit.

Part of a Wider Rail and Transit Overhaul

The approval of Palma’s second metro line comes as Mallorca pursues a wider reconfiguration of its public transport system, with a focus on rail expansion and network integration. In 2025 the extension of M1 to Parc Bit was inaugurated, adding a 1.4 kilometer stretch from the university campus to the island’s main technology and innovation park. That project, largely financed through European funds, showcased the use of rail as a tool to support emerging employment hubs and reduce car dependency to out of town campuses.

Beyond the metro, several high profile rail projects are advancing in various stages of design. Plans for a Palma Llucmajor line that also serves the airport, and a Palma Alcúdia corridor combining conventional rail with tram operation, are expected to significantly expand the reach of the island’s railway network into the south and northeast. Publicly available projections for these corridors point to completion dates in the early 2030s, similar to the Son Espases metro timeframe.

At the same time, the regional transport consortium and Palma city authorities are working on measures to integrate modes more tightly. Recent announcements regarding a new unified transport card for Mallorca, as well as upgrades to Palma’s Intermodal Station such as escalator replacements, information screens and ventilation improvements, point to an effort to align infrastructure with the expanded rail offer that is due to arrive over the next decade.

The reimagining of Palma’s metro as a two line system forms a key component of this broader shift. In contrast to the earlier, now discontinued regional M2 service that once used main line tracks toward Marratxí, the new Son Espases M2 is framed as a fully urban route designed around contemporary mobility demands in the metropolitan area.

Implications for Visitors and Sustainable Mobility Goals

While conceived primarily for residents, the second metro line is also likely to influence the visitor experience in Palma de Mallorca. The Intermodal Station at Plaça d’Espanya already functions as the arrival point for many tourists transferring from the airport bus to city and resort services. A denser rail network based at this hub, including direct links to key hospitals, business parks and future regional lines, may encourage more travellers to rely on public transport during their stay.

Tourism and mobility strategies for the island have increasingly emphasized sustainability objectives, including reductions in private vehicle use, better air quality in central districts and improved access to essential services. The new M2 line aligns with these goals by offering an electric, high capacity alternative along one of Palma’s most important movement corridors, with potential benefits for noise and emissions.

Over the coming years, detailed design, environmental review and public consultation will shape the final alignment and station layouts. Urban design choices around station entrances, interchange configurations and pedestrian or cycling links will help determine how seamlessly the metro integrates into surrounding neighborhoods.

For now, the political approval of Palma de Mallorca’s second metro line to Son Espases marks a clear commitment to rail centric mobility. As work proceeds toward the planned construction start at the end of the decade, residents, commuters and visitors will be watching how the project fits into the island’s evolving transport landscape and its ambitions for a more sustainable future.