Artículo sobre la zona de La Sagra, provincia de Toledo, publicado en la revista Nova Terra en el marco del proyecto Connected Cities de la Unión Europe

Hojas Hojas, Luis Ignacio

Servicio de Coordinación de Bibliotecas de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

NovaTerra Connected Cities / April 2008 / 6
Toledo
Seseña
Madrid
Villaseca
de la Sagra
Luis Hojas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
The La Sagra region (1,100 km2) lies between the cities of Madrid and 
Toledo in the Autonomous Community of Castilla La Mancha. The 
Association of Municipalities of La Sagra Alta contains 1 historic 
centres. As a rural area located close to a metropolitan environment, 
La Sagra is experiencing growing pressure from the Madrid region 
and as a consequence is urbanising at a rapid pace. The question of 
how its infrastructure can keep up with the rate of urban development 
is becoming a key issue for municipalities in the area.
population growth in la sagra
 The population of La Sagra has increased significantly in recent 
years. This growth in residential and employment uses is largely  
the result of rising land prices in Madrid and the area directly to  
the south of the city, where prices have tripled in the last eight years. 
At present La Sagra still has a relatively small population, but its 
generally flat landscape is highly suited to construction and growth 
is estimated to continue further in this zone. Local authorities are 
making plans to cope with this population growth. However, opinions 
differ on the amount of growth that is to be expected: in 2020 the 
population may be from two to four times its present size. This 
range covers the outcomes of three scenarios based on annual 
average growth rates of 6%, 8% and 9.4%.
Which of these scenarios will eventually take place depends 
predominantly on two factors: the trend in population growth  
in the central zone of Spain is expected to increase and the area’s 
ability to link into the transport infrastructure to be developed in 
the zone south of the economic powerhouse of Madrid.
Table 1 shows the estimated population growth in La Sagra under 
each of the three scenarios, compared with the neighbouring 
regions of Toledo, Madrid and the southern region of the Autonomous 
La Sagra – Territory and  
mobility in the 21st century
The La Sagra region in central Spain is set  
to grow due to increasing development 
pressure and rising house prices in the 
neighbouring Madrid region. La Sagra is 
ideally suited to become a showcase for  
a ‘city of cities’ form of polynuclear urban 
development based around existing and 
new road, rail and air transport 
infrastructures.
(illustration: Karin Dekker)
NovaTerra Connected Cities / April 2008 / 7
Community of Madrid (municipalities of Getafe, Navalcarnero and 
Aranjuez). Despite the differences between the three growth models, 
in all projected cases the area of La Sagra experiences the strongest 
growth. Compared to Toledo and especially to the saturated Madrid 
region, the annual percentage growth rate in La Sagra will be 
remarkably high.
With the fast population growth in La Sagra, and the fact that most 
economic activities are at present situated in the Madrid region,  
a large impact on the transportation system is to be expected,  
such as increased commuter traffic. In order to understand these 
implications and investigate possible solutions, we first focus on  
the present road, rail and air transport networks. The challenges 
that these networks face are then interpreted as an opportunity  
for integrated transportation planning. 
primary transport networks
 Conditioned by the demands of the Madrid region, the transport 
infrastructure in Spain’s central zone is generally good. Historically, 
the former capital of Toledo and the (then) provincial town of 
Madrid, were well connected. At present their roles are reversed:  
the bipolar Toledo-Madrid system has been transformed into a system 
with one primary centre, Madrid, leaving Toledo as just one of the 
historic municipalities in the surrounding region. Administratively, 
the municipalities of La Sagra have at different times fallen under 
either the Toledo or Madrid regional authorities.
road network
 As a whole, when the region is viewed at the national scale, the 
motorway network is well developed. The primary roads that cross 
La Sagra are the Madrid-Toledo motorway (A41) and the corresponding 
Madrid-Toledo toll motorway (AP41), the road to Andalucía (R4) and 
its corresponding toll motorway. Further, two new high capacity roads 
have been planned and approved: one will cross La Sagra from east  
to west and a national motorway will connect Maqueda with Tarancón. 
However, the present secondary network of regional roads provides 
insufficient capacity for the current population and increasing traffic 
flows, and different sections of the network are severely congested 
during certain hours of the day.
railway network
 The current rail network is composed of two types of lines: the 
older system with a rail gauge of 1,688 mm (used for goods trains 
and passenger services at lower speeds) and new lines for higher 
speed passenger trains with the European rail gauge of 1,45 mm. 
Some of the stations in La Sagra are on the first network, but many 
of them have fallen into disuse over the last twenty years. Recently, 
proposals have been made for reopening these for commuter trains.
 2007 2010 2015 2020 %
Madrid city ,100,000 ,200,000 ,250,000 ,00,000 0.50%
Southern Madrid region  190,000 220,000 240,000 250,000 2.20%
La Sagra –  low growth – 180,000 240,000 00,000 6.00% 
medium growth 140,000 200,000 280,000 80,000 8.00% 
high growth model  – 220,000 20,000 450,000 9.50%
Toledo 75,000 110,000 125,000 140.000 5.00%
Y
NovaTerra Connected Cities / April 2008 / 8
Several train maintenance workshops for the high speed network 
are located in La Sagra and form an important element for the further 
development of the region, providing as they do access to existing 
and future lines. In addition, a new station is being planned for use 
in emergency situations in the Madrid railway system, such as critical 
technical or engineering failures due to accidents, natural disasters 
or terrorist attacks.
infrastructure networks poorly connected
 The motorway network is becoming congested and the regional 
network of secondary roads is both congested and lacks density – 
especially when faced with the large population growth expected. 
The railway system largely bypasses the region, with the older stations 
having fallen into disuse. The regional railway system is still not 
developed and its development may encounter a variety of obstacles 
due to La Sagra’s location between two administrative regions. 
However, plans to adapt older lines are currently being discussed.  
In this respect, a relation with the subway system of Madrid should 
be mentioned. This system is confined to the city of Madrid, but a 
network of commuter trains (comparable with the RER of Paris) has 
been introduced since 1996. However, these trains are not connected 
to the La Sagra region, while connections into the air transport 
network are also poor at present. The La Sagra region contains no 
commercial airports. Aero clubs exist in Casarrubios, Ontígola and 
Ocaña, but these do not have any relevance for regional mobility.
mobility proposals for regional economical development
 To create a better economic and territorial balance between 
Madrid and Toledo, our study proposes integrating different existing 
initiatives with a new regional airport situated between the two cities. 
An airport in La Sagra would function as the second airport of the 
central area of the Iberian peninsula, facilitating access to Castilla  
La Mancha and the city of Toledo. This new airport would justify 
high speed train (AVE) connections to La Sagra and additional larger 
scale infrastructure. Finally, we propose improving the regional 
infrastructure by introducing Phileas bus rapid transit systems, 
much like Metro Sur in Madrid.
future mobility in la sagra
 Departing from the emerging urbanist paradigm of the distributed 
city (or city of cities), our study proposes different additions tothe 
existing infrastructure. These alternatives would have a major influence 
on economic development, quality of life and sustainability in the 
region of La Sagra. Community services can be further developed in 
such a ‘city of cities’ by building connections between the different 
municipalities. In this article we do not evaluate the organisational 
and participation aspects, but concentrate on infrastructure proposals 
in relation to the general system of mobility for a fast growing 
population.
The mobility system proposed follows a series of actions to connect 
local mobility with the larger national network by integrating the  
La Sagra region into the bipolar network of the Madrid region, as 
principal ‘centre of gravity’, and the city of Toledo, which functions 
as an administrative centre. 
As many of the inhabitants of La Sagra work in Madrid, a mature 
network of connections is of great importance – also for the economic 
development of the La Sagra region itself. The possible new airport 
will also create major development opportunities. The AVE line to 
Toledo branches from the main Madrid-Seville line at Villaseca de  
La Sagra and it is precisely in this location where the new La Sagra-
Toledo airport is proposed. As high speed train users coincide with 
the group of air travellers, it will be easy to integrate both transport 
services from a user perspective. We propose combining the AVE station 
with the airport in an ‘Airport City’ to create a first rate transport, 
communication, employment and leisure infrastructure.
a new airport and ave station
 Madrid has four airports, of which Barajas is the international 
airport. Mobility systems for the 21st century should also include  
a strategically positioned network of regional airports – especially  
in Spain, where distances are relatively large. Nowadays, even 
commuting between Madrid and Barcelona is not rare as several 
carriers provide ‘air bridges’ between such cities. La Sagra is one  
of the search zones for a possible new regional airport. Due to its 
location in Castilla de la Mancha, it will be important to demonstrate 
the benefits for the region of Madrid and the Central Region as a whole. 
The La Sagra area between Madrid and Toledo.
ContentNova Terra on the EU 
supported project  
‘Connected Cities’,  
April 2008. 
http://connectedcities.eu
Publisher
Nirov, The Hague,  
The Netherlands  
(www.nirov.nl)
Editorial Board
Sophie Labbouz  
(EIVP Paris, guest editor) 
Huib Haccou
Frank van der Hoeven  
(issue editor) 
Derek Middleton  
(English editing)
Anne Schram
Eduard Herkes (editor in chief)
Henrik Sander  
(HCU Hamburg, guest editor)
Graphic design
Studio Bau Winkel
Print
Productie Platform P, 
Rotterdam
Correspondence
Nirov, Eduard Herkes, 
Postbox 30833, 2500 GV  
The Hague, The Netherlands, 
herkes@nirov.nl
Office support:  
Helen Kokshoorn, kokshoorn@
nirov.nl
Project part-financed 
by the European Union
The content of this 
publication reflects the 
views of the authors. 
The Managing Authority 
is not liable for any use 
that may be made of the 
information contained 
therein. 
 
ISSN 
1570-0402
Editorial
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Frank van der Hoeven
5 transport as a field for local 
anarchy
Henrik Sander and Frank van der Hoeven
12 tramtrain connects town  
and country
Oliver Glaser, Georg Nowak-Hertweck and  Thomas Wagner 
16 sustainable mobility in carré 
sénart
Sophie Labbouz, Anne-Claire Bellec and Frédérique Vinay 
20 connecting stedenbaan and 
randstadrail
Frank van der Hoeven
25 london’s smart move 
Hilary May and Mark Frost
30 the strategic importance  
of territorial platforms for  
the esino corridor – the 
ancona-jesi-fabriano axis
Elisa Ferrara
33 urban dipoles of thessaly
Dimitris Economou, Kostas Lalenis and Alex Deffner
38 la sagra – territory and   
mobility in the 21st century
Luis Hojas
16
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The proposed site of the new La Sagra AVE station is located at the 
junction of the three important railway lines in central and southern 
Spain, leading to the provinces of Andalucía, Levante and Extremadura. 
For a connecting station, this location presents almost ideal conditions. 
At present this area contains the AVE maintenance workshops, which 
are 70 km away from the Madrid AVE station of Atocha. As the AVE 
train needs approximately 30 km to get up to speed and many more 
to decelerate, this location may be too close to Atocha. Nevertheless, 
for reasons of security and the desirability of linking different transport 
infrastructures, La Sagra holds potential. A well-developed and safe 
railway network should have several access points and be linked into 
an airport. This makes La Sagra the most cost-effective location and a 
choice for this integrated infrastructure will have a far-reaching impact 
on the entire region of Castilla La Mancha as well as the southern 
region of the Autonomous Community of Madrid. This proposed new 
AVE station would be an interchange between the main southern 
lines, providing access to the network for 1,500,000 inhabitants from 
Toledo to Getafe, allowing them to avoid the congested routes into 
the capital. 
airport city 
 Several suggestions for planning and programming such an 
Airport City resulting from our study are described briefly below. 
Integrating the AVE station with the regional airport would 
considerably reduce construction costs. For such a combination of 
functions, a well-established scheme is to locate the system of train 
platforms underneath the airport terminal, with shared access to 
the parking system.
The location in La Sagra is cost-effective because the railway network 
already exists. In the proposed combination with an airport and the 
established and planned motorways, this AVE station could be one 
of the best connected in Europe. However, financing for the project 
has not yet been concluded. One of the possibilities is to connect this 
proposal with the current discussion on railway security in the Madrid 
region. A security station in La Sagra could avoid severe problems 
should Atocha station (south of Madrid) have to be temporarily closed. 
As plans for such a security station exist, we suggest that La Sagra 
participates in the development of the project brief. As the area is 
still relatively thinly populated it can still quite easily accommodate 
major new development, making it possibly the most effective 
location for the new AVE station. 
We suggest three different levels for the combined railway station 
and airport terminal building: the lower level (-1) for railway accesses, 
the middle level (0) for airport arrivals and the upper level (+1) for 
airport departures. The terminal should also contain services and 
amenities such as hotels and restaurants, a business zone, congress 
centre, shopping area and leisure centres, and an integrated parking 
system. The surroundings offer possibilities for extensive industrial, 
logistic and leisure zones. With such a large development programme, 
at this stage it is difficult to estimate the area of land required. 
However, assuming two 3,800-metre runways are needed and 
projecting the development programme to 2050, we estimate that 
an area of at least 25 km2 should be reserved, of which about half 
would be dedicated to airport city services.
regional and local mobility
 An important step is to connect the above projects into an 
upgraded regional transport network and improve commuter services 
to Madrid. The main aim is to connect the new airport city to the 
commuter network in the Madrid region by extending the line to 
Illescas on to the airport. The La Sagra region should also be linked 
to the city of Toledo, its administrative capital, by a high capacity 
railway from Seseña to Toledo. La Sagra would then become a rail hub 
linking the Madrid commuter network with the regional rail network 
serving the Toledo region. Concerning the road infrastructure, on the 
level of the secondary network we propose creating a new ‘ring road’ 
through La Sagra to provide a spine for the development of the territory 
into a distributed polynuclear city.
conclusions
 Our study proposes a transport system of nodal centres combined 
with larger-scale transport infrastructures. These will not only 
permit regional communication, but also contribute decisively to  
the development of the La Sagra region in a sustainable manner.  
The infrastructure projects could contribute to subsequent town 
planning, as they enable the construction of new centres along 
these lines, with parks, community services, and commercial and 
leisure zones. 
The proposed infrastructure projects connect the present historic 
centres. It is important to realise that public transport systems must 
provide the advantages and qualities demanded by travellers, reflecting 
user demands rather than ideological models.
Along with the proposed new infrastructure, a less centralised form 
of territory management could be introduced in the La Sagra region 
by creating a network of municipalities and pursuing a strategy of 
coordinated growth. The transport systems, as the main pillars of 
this project, will support this polynuclear method of urban planning. 
This should be economically feasible as the region is ideally suited 
to the development of such a ‘city of cities’. Pursuit of this option 
should be based on participation, quality of life and sustainability.
References  
–  Alfonso Vegara, Alfonso; de las Rivas, Juan Luis. Territorios inteligentes. Fundación 
Metrópoli. Madrid. 2005.
–  Castilla Bayod, Lorenzo. Ciudad aeroportuaria: un nuevo equipamiento territorial. 
Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos. Madrid. 2004.
–  Guller, Michael; Guller Mathis. Del aeropuerto a la ciudad_aeropuerto.  
GG. Barcelona. 2006.
–  Hall, Peter. ‘Planificación y gestión de la ciudad para la sociedad emergente’  
and Urban, Nº 4, Primavera 2000. 
NovaTerra Connected Cities / April 2008 / 2


La Sagra – Territory and mobility in the 21st century

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La Sagra – Territory and mobility in the 21st century

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