The first time that rail transportation came to Nuevos Ministerios, one of Madrid’s several government complexes, its passengers thought they were on a ride at the fairgrounds.

The odd structure of the first tunnel between Atocha and Chamartín, which included the new Nuevos Ministerios station and seemed to turn back on itself, earned it the nickname the tunnel of laughter.

Today, it is one of the largest transit interchanges in Madrid, with 18 million travelers a year. It first opened in 1967, and its last major expansion was at the turn of the 21st century. The station’s renovations, which Ferrovial participated in, connected it with the airport by metro and turned it into the interchange that has made Nuevos Ministerios what it is today. There are eight suburban railway lines, three metro lines, and ten bus lines.

The project involved building several connecting corridors, which was done by Ferrovial, that link the different lines together. These corridors have a mezzanine layout, with areas connecting at different depths and providing access to the different transportation options at Nuevos Ministerios. The interchange covers a total area of 36,000 square meters, and it offers airport terminal functions, allowing baggage to be checked in at the station.

As a whole, Nuevos Ministerios has new entrances and is built around a large common hallway that’s spread out over two floors. It has 36 sets of escalators and 16 elevators in all. The longest and most transited gallery, the one connecting line 6 and the airport, is also equipped with 552 meters of moving walkways.