Madrid closes Sol metro station over unsanitary conditions from homeless encampment
President Isabel Díaz Ayuso announced the temporary closure of Sol station because of hazardous levels of urine and waste in its ventilation shafts.
In an interview, President Isabel Díaz Ayuso declared that Sol metro station will be closed until sanitation work can be carried out, pointing to severe unsanitary conditions caused by a homeless camp. The regional housing and transport minister, Jorge Rodrigo, wrote to the government delegate, Francisco Martín, urging the swift eviction of the encampment to allow access for cleaning equipment. Environmental analysis by Laboratorios Himalaya detected ammonia levels up to 80% of the legal daily exposure limit in ventilation shafts, indicating the presence and fermentation of urine.
Metro de Madrid warned that the buildup of waste is creating a contamination situation that endangers staff and passengers. The report recommends specialized industrial vehicles and protective measures for workers to safely remove the residues and restore hygienic standards.
Why it matters
The closure disrupts a major transit hub and highlights public-health risks linked to homeless encampments in urban infrastructure.
How this story developed
- Oct 5 Spain's Supreme Court suspends overseas voting for new citizens under grandchildren law
- Oct 6 The Spanish Supreme Court has nullified the national arrest warrants for Carles Puigdemont and two former advisers, allowing him to return to Spain.
- Oct 6 Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena cancelled the national arrest warrants for Puigdemont and his advisers.
- Oct 7 Supreme Court judge issued a provisional annulment of Puigdemont’s arrest warrant, pending a separate tribunal meeting on the full amnesty application.
- Oct 15 Ce.DEU submitted legal objections to the Supreme Court's voting suspension decree.
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