[1] The complex will be fully underground excepting for the station building, with two levels of platforms, accounting for a total of 18 railway tracks.

[3] At an estimated cost of €2 billion,[4] the project is funded and managed by Barcelona Sagrera Alta Velocitat (BSAV), a public partnership made up of the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council.

[5] The idea of a new central station at this location has appeared on local transport projects since the late 1960s.

[9][10] In July 2011, a 1,100 m2 (12,000 sq ft) Roman villa was found due to the station construction works.

[11][12] The Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the City Council announced in July 2013 that they had reached an agreement to modify the original project in order to reduce its cost.