Barcelona’s Putxet neighborhood was disrupted after a cavity associated with construction of the L9 metro line forced dozens of families from their homes. The ground collapse was detected on 7 July 2026, when the interior patio of a pizzeria gave way over a hole about 8 metres in diameter and 4 metres deep, near FGC El Putxet station in the Sant Gervasi district. At the time of the initial evacuation, the Generalitat said around 60% of households were expected to return between the following week and early August, while no timetable had been set for the remaining 40%.
The first group cleared to return lived at 6 Rubinstein Street, where 11 apartments and four commercial premises are located. Their return was expected the following week. A further phase, planned for the first week of August, covered 30 homes and one business at 54 Sant Gervasi de Cassoles. Authorities said the remaining buildings would need safety assessments before they authorized further returns.
Pilar Díaz, the Generalitat’s delegate in Barcelona, and Ramon Ramírez, director general of Mobility Infrastructure, said the government’s priority was the structural safety of every building. They also reported that 90% of claims from affected families had been processed through a dedicated support office, which covers extraordinary expenses resulting from the incident.
The Catalan government also met individually with local business owners affected by the evacuation. The Institut Català de Finances (ICF) launched a financing line to help cover rent and other ongoing business costs during the disruption. For families still unable to return, the Generalitat planned to announce specific support measures, including options under consideration that would let tenants temporarily suspend rent payments without penalizing landlords. Díaz said a special unit, coordinated with the Conselleria de Territori, would manage these cases.
Subsequent updates show how the return process moved beyond the initial August outlook. By 19 October, authorities had authorized residents from 54 homes and occupants of eight commercial premises to return. Residents of Teodora Lamadrid, 5, covering 15 homes and one business, were told they could return from 26 October, subject to progress on ground consolidation and technical assessments. That phase would bring the number of homes cleared for reoccupation to 69 of the 87 evacuated.
After the Teodora Lamadrid, 5 phase, 18 homes and seven businesses in three buildings were still awaiting authorization. These properties are at Rubinstein, 2 and 4, and Teodora Lamadrid, 3, the area later described in reporting as the most severely affected. Their return was projected for early 2027, pending further ground consolidation and structural checks, with repairs to follow where necessary. The Generalitat and Barcelona City Council have used a staged authorization process, tying returns to engineering work and building-safety assessments rather than issuing a single reopening decision.
Technical conditions also help explain why some buildings were cleared for return while others are still awaiting approval. Later coverage reported that a 2,500-ton tunnel-boring machine was operating about 131 feet below the affected area when ground was drawn into the excavation. The machine remained beneath the buildings, with about 66 feet of tunnelling still to complete before the last displaced families could consider returning. Monitoring teams also detected worsening cracks in Rubinstein, 2, and found a second, smaller cavity at the end of July. The remaining work includes ground consolidation and grouting, followed by checks and any repairs deemed necessary.
Residents’ concerns persisted even after some buildings received technical clearance. Some questioned whether it was safe to return. A neighbor from 55 Sant Gervasi de Cassoles also raised concerns about ground stability and the risk of heavy rain. Affected residents have announced plans to sue Barcelona City Council, with a complaint directed at the Generalitat as well. The dispute over responsibility and compensation continues alongside the engineering works and phased returns.
The displacement has affected businesses as well as households. After the October phase, seven commercial premises were still awaiting authorization to resume activity. The Generalitat and Barcelona City Council have been coordinating additional support for people unable to return. Business activity is expected to resume alongside residential returns once outstanding works are completed. For some residents, that would mean remaining displaced for more than six months after the cavity was detected.
The incident is not isolated in Barcelona’s metro construction history. A gas explosion at the Plaça de Sants metro works previously caused injuries and impressive disruption, highlighting the challenges of underground infrastructure projects in the city. Details of that event are available in this report on the Plaça de Sants metro accident.
Barcelona’s metro expansion has involved multiple phases and impressive engineering challenges. The L9 line has faced delays and technical setbacks over the years. Ground instability during urban tunnelling can require extensive monitoring and consolidation, followed by structural checks. In Putxet, those measures have shaped both the sequence and timing of residents’ returns.
