A brand new section of the northern part of Seville’s metro Line 3 has been given the green light, in a contract agreed at a whopping 173 million euros (￡144 million).

       The new line will run for just over half a mile along Calle San Juan de Ribera and Avenida Doctor Fedriani via the Virgen Macarena hospital, according to railwaygazette.com.

       Seville is the capital and largest city of the Andalusia region and welcomes around three million tourists a year, making it one of the most visited destinations in Spain. It is also a top choice for British tourists, thanks to its rich culture, impressive architecture and lively festivals.

       A cut-and-cover construction method will be used to build the new line - which involves digging a trench, building a tunnel and then restoring the ground to its original state.

       Meanwhile, in the vicinity of the hospital, the line will be bored underneath the existing underground car park, to serve a stop an impressive 20 metres below street level.

       READ MORE: The ￡2bn railway project set to link two seaside towns in Spanish region

       Alongside the ￡144 million contract to build the new section, Betancourt Ingenieros and Eptisa have been awarded a 4.9 million euro (￡4 million) contract to supervise the works, and Ingeniería Atecsur has a 500,000 euro (￡417,000) contract to coordinate safety procedures.

       The new section of Line 3 will be built with provision for a future interchange with the 5.5-mile Line 4 - connecting the northern and southern districts - which is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by 2030.

       The idea of a metro in Seville was first proposed in 1968, when the city council raised concerns that the surface transportation systems were insufficient to meet the demands of its residents.

       Experimental construction began in 1974 with definite construction starting two years later. However, in 1981 serious concerns were raised after the monument to San Fernando in Plaza Nueva sank. A few months later, a five-metre sinkhole appeared in Puerta Jerez Station and later that year some cracks appeared in several buildings in he San Bernado neighbourhood. The works were subsequently suspended in 1984.

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       In 1999, fifteen years after the works were halted, an agreement was reached to reactivate construction and building commenced in September 2003.

       Currently, the Seville Metro runs for 11 miles with 21 operating stations through Seville and its metropolitan area, running completely separate from any other rail or street traffic.

       Line 1 was inaugurated in April 2009, with plans for building three more lines. It was the sixth Metro system to be built in Spain, after those in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Palma de Mallorca.

       It is the fifth biggest Metro company in Spain by the number of passengers carried, with an impressive 20 million in 2023.