Cursa de Bombers Shuts Central Barcelona Streets, Diverts 31 Bus Lines
The Cursa de Bombers closes central Barcelona streets on Sunday, Nov. 8, and diverts 31 bus lines. Route, closure times and metro options for the race.
Thousands of runners will take over central Barcelona on Sunday, Nov. 8, for the 27th Vueling Cursa de Bombers (the firefighters’ race), and the 10-kilometer course closes streets from the Estació de França to Paral·lel, Gran Via and Via Laietana for much of the morning.
TMB (Barcelona’s bus and metro operator) will divert 31 bus lines along the route and is telling passengers to use the metro instead for trips near the course on Sunday morning and around midday.
What it means for drivers and bus riders
Reports differ on how long the disruption lasts. El Nacional says traffic restrictions start at 8.30 and run until about 11.45, with streets reopening gradually as runners clear each section. The Ajuntament de Barcelona (city council) says surface traffic along the route will be affected roughly between 6:00 and 15:00. Access to car parks on the streets of the course is also restricted, according to El Nacional.
The diverted lines, according to the city council, are D20, D50, H12, H14, H16, V9, V11, V13, V15, V17, V19, V21, 6, 7, 13, 19, 21, 22, 24, 39, 47, 54, 55, 59, 63, 67, 120, 121 and 141, plus the red and blue routes of the Barcelona Bus Turístic. TMB says it will reroute buses section by section as the race moves through the city.
For live service changes on the day, TMB points riders to its TMB App, a race page on its website and the service notices section of the same site.
The route and the closed streets
Start and finish are on the Avinguda del Marquès de l’Argentera, in front of the Estació de França. The official start is at 8.50, and runners set off from 9.00 in four staggered waves, El Nacional reports. The city council lists the Passeig de Pujades as the starting point, leading onto Marquès de l’Argentera.
From there the course runs along Pla de Palau, the Passeig d’Isabel II and the Passeig de Colom, past the Plaça del Portal de la Pau and the Passeig de Josep Carner to the Plaça de les Drassanes. It then climbs the Avinguda del Paral·lel and follows Carrer de Floridablanca and Carrer del Comte d’Urgell to the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes.
Runners then pass the Plaça de Tetuan, Carrer de la Marina, Carrer de Casp, the Passeig de Sant Joan, the Ronda de Sant Pere and the Plaça d’Urquinaona before heading down Via Laietana. The last stretch returns along the Passeig de Colom, the Passeig d’Isabel II and Pla de Palau to the finish line. El Nacional describes the circuit as fairly flat and fast.
Getting to the start by metro
The closest metro stations to the start are Arc de Triomf on the L1 and Barceloneta on the L4. Because buses near the course will be diverted, TMB advises runners to travel by metro and allow extra time.
TMB is also handing out free single tickets for metro and bus to runners who ask for one when they collect their race pack. Bib pickup is at the Passeig de Lluís Companys on Nov. 6 and 7, from 10:00 to 20:00, according to El Nacional.
El Nacional calls the race one of the most crowded sporting events in the city. Central Barcelona will see heavy changes to traffic and public transport for most of Sunday morning.
Sources: El Nacional, Ajuntament de Barcelona
