A new EMT bus museum is set to open in Madrid, showcasing the city’s rich urban transport history.
The museum will be built near Madrid Río on a 4,460 square meter plot in the Mahou-Calderón area, bounded by the streets of Duque de Tovar, San Epifanio, and Paseo de los Melancólicos.
This purpose-built facility will house EMT’s extensive collection of historic vehicles and artifacts, currently located at the EMT Operations Centre in Fuencarral.
The existing collection, which has been on display since 2016, features more than 40 historic vehicles, including iconic double-decker models such as the Guy Arab (1947) and Leyland Titan (1957).
Alongside these, visitors will find a range of memorabilia, including old bus shelters, seats from trams and buses, models, maps, and plans from various eras. The collection, accumulated since 1999, represents the city’s dedication to preserving its “historic mobile heritage,” according to EMT.
Preserving these pieces of transport history has been a considerable challenge. Many of the models were in varying states of disrepair when acquired, requiring extensive restoration to return them to their former glory. Despite the difficulties, the museum has grown in popularity, welcoming over 6,200 visitors in 2023 alone.
The new museum project will be supported by the College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), which will advise and assist with the organization and dissemination of a public competition for architectural preliminary projects.
The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accompanied by the delegate for Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility, Borja Carabante, signed last week an agreement with the dean of the College of Architects of Madrid (COAM), Sigfrido Herráez, by virtue of which this collegiate body will offer advice and technical support in the organization and dissemination of the public competition for architectural preliminary projects for the construction of the future EMT Madrid Museum.
COAM is seeking participation from a large number of architectural projects to ensure the best quality design for the new museum. A jury jointly appointed by EMT Madrid and COAM will select the winning project through an open competition. The competition is open to all architects authorized to practice in Spain.
As part of the competition, EMT Madrid and COAM have announced a single-phase format with six cash prizes. The first prize is set at 50,000 euros and will be considered an advance on the fees for the preliminary project, basic project, execution project, and technical management contract. The second prize will be 10,000 euros, and the third prize will be 5,000 euros. Additionally, three runners-up will each receive 2,500 euros.
With this new museum, Madrid aims to create a unique cultural space dedicated to its public transportation heritage, celebrating the evolution of the city’s bus network and offering visitors a glimpse into the past. Once completed, the museum is expected to become a key attraction for both locals and tourists, providing a deeper understanding of Madrid’s urban development and mobility history.
