00:01Lunchtime in Madrid. Delivery vans are supplying the city with everything,
00:06including packages. From this distribution center alone,
00:11200 vehicles deliver up to 25,000 shipments to the center of the Spanish capital every day.
00:18Parcel delivery services account for 15 to 20 percent of traffic here.
00:23That means traffic jams and poor air quality. New solutions are needed.
00:29We need delivery services to collaborate and to see how we can make use of existing infrastructure.
00:38Here's one possible alternative to road transport, the subway.
00:43At 5am, couriers load a train with packages.
00:49This project has only been up and running for a few weeks.
00:52We expect to transport about 1,000 packages daily along Line 3 to the 19 stations.
01:01Coordinator Rafa Villa explains the procedures to a new train conductor, and then they're off.
01:06Even before the first passengers board, the train heads north to the city center, today carrying around 200 packages.
01:16Then everything has to move fast, with the train scheduled to pick up its first passengers shortly after 6am.
01:24We can take advantage of this opportunity without disrupting passenger service.
01:28That must not happen under any circumstances.
01:32As we'll see today, we'll reach all these locations using the subway's infrastructure and trains.
01:37We'll move packages between 5 and 6am without passengers noticing, without the city noticing.
01:44Unloading continues at a rapid pace.
01:47As the mail train pulls in again, staff members are busy stowing the packages in parcel lockers at the subway
01:54stations.
01:54Everything must be processed by 7am.
01:58The entire project has one goal, to reduce traffic above ground.
02:05A very important factor is the number of kilometres we save on the road during delivery.
02:10If we deliver 1,000 packages a day, we can save 1,000 kilometres of delivery distance on the road,
02:15just with Line 3 alone.
02:20With a maximum of just 1,000 packages a day, the effect is negligible.
02:25But as more subway lines are added, traffic above ground is expected to decrease.
02:31This will set a precedent, providing the rest of Europe, or cities that wish to adopt this model,
02:36with data and insights into its positive effect on mobility.
02:42Passengers take over 2 million trips on Madrid's metro each day.
02:47Many of them also shop online.
02:49The package stations are, so to speak, right up their street.
02:53Easy access is key if the goal is to transport as many packages as possible via the metro.
03:00It's so convenient, because I can always pick up my packages during subway hours.
03:05That's much more practical than going to shops with fixed opening hours.
03:11I can pick up the packages as soon as I get the message.
03:16Do you know the packages are actually delivered by subway?
03:19No.
03:20No, really?
03:22Once the service becomes more widely known, deliveries via the metro are set to be expanded to even more lines,
03:28and will include small distribution points in the city centre.
03:32Currently, packages are delivered there by truck, and then transported further on foot by couriers.
03:38What is being tested in Madrid could serve as a model for other cities struggling with excessive delivery traffic.
03:45P
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