Residents of three apartment buildings in Barcelona’s Sant Gervasi district will not be able to return home until at least January, after a metro sinkhole forced evacuations eight weeks ago. The Generalitat confirmed on Friday that ground stabilization works are taking longer than initially hoped, leaving dozens of families in limbo well past the Christmas period.
The incident, along the L9 metro line, affected eight buildings in total. Half of the evacuated residents have already returned, but four buildings remain off-limits. Only one, Teodora Lamadrid 5, is expected to be reoccupied by mid-October. The other three buildings, Teodora Lamadrid 3 and Rubinstein 2 and 4, will stay empty until early next year, with 18 households still displaced. Rubinstein 2, also known as Teodora Lamadrid 1, suffered the most severe structural damage, particularly after a large crack appeared at the end of July.
Officials from the Generalitat, including Ramon Ramírez, director general of Infrastructure, stressed that safety remains the top priority. Ramírez said concrete injections to stabilize the ground are progressing slowly because the soil can absorb only so much material at a time. This technical challenge is the basic reason for the extended timeline, particularly for Rubinstein 2, which sits at a critical corner near the Sant Gervasi market.
In the first weeks after the collapse, engineers focused on assessing the damage and isolating the affected area. Now, the basic task is to restore the ground to its previous condition, a process complicated by the amount of material required and the unpredictable terrain. Residents like Miren Atela, who lives at Rubinstein 2, say the prolonged hotel stay is taking a toll, especially as daily routines resume after summer holidays. She says communication from authorities has been sporadic, and being unable to access her home, even briefly, has made daily life more difficult. Offers of alternative accommodation have not met her needs, and she says the situation is beginning to affect her mental health.
Meanwhile, 40 meters underground, the tunnel boring machine remains halted where work stopped on July 7, information from the Department of Territory. Infraestructures, the company responsible for the project, continues to oversee the complex repairs. The situation in Barcelona echoes other recent infrastructure challenges in Spain, where delays and safety concerns have led authorities to prioritize long-term stability over quick fixes. For example, a recent report on Ceuta’s security forces highlighted how unexpected crises can expose gaps in planning and response.
Barcelona’s metro expansion has been a major urban project, but the Sant Gervasi sinkhole highlights the risks of large-scale underground construction in densely populated areas. The L9 line, still incomplete after years of work, has faced multiple setbacks. For affected residents, the immediate need is clarity and support as they wait for the all-clear to return home. The city’s experience may prompt closer scrutiny of safety protocols and contingency planning for future infrastructure works.
