Hey mm-ers--
Quick question: has anyone been to the Ikea in San Sebastian de los Reyes recently via public transportation? There used to be a bus from Plaza de Castilla (#156) but I can't find any info on it on the metro bus site (emtmadrid.es). Or is it a special bus?

Or does the new Metro Norte go there now?

In other Ikea news, I saw on their website that they are opening a new store to the southeast near the new 1 line stop "Las Suertes" in early August.

Happy summer!

From what I just read, it seems that, now, the MetroNorte does indeed take you right into San Sebastian, and perhaps it is from there that there could be a more local service laid on, provided by Ikea itself, to take you from the Metro stop right to the front door, which would make sense, seeing as they have so many visitors each week, but you'll have to call Ikea and ask them about that one. Reyes Católicos would be the stop to get out for Ikea, by the looks of it on the map. (see link below)

Ikea Trading Services S.l. - más datos »
Calle Isla De Hierro (Zade San Sebastián De Los Reyes) 7, 28700 San Sebastian De Los Reyes
916 538 128

http://www.google.es/maps?hl=es&q=Ikea+in&near=San+Seba...7923&li=lmd&z=14&t=m


quote:
"La nueva línea, de 15,7 kilómetros y 11 estaciones, comunica los PAU´s del Norte con Alcobendas y San Sebastián de los Reyes

La presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, inauguró hoy la nueva línea de MetroNorte, la de mayor longitud y número de estaciones de las nuevas líneas de Metro convencional que la Comunidad de Madrid ha construido dentro del mayor Plan de Ampliación de la historia del suburbano.

“Hoy el Metro llega a Alcobendas y San Sebastián de los Reyes”, señaló Esperanza Aguirre, lo que consideró “un gran día para estos dos municipios del Norte de Madrid que se acercan así entre ellos y a la capital”. Además, explicó que “las 11 nuevas estaciones de este Metronorte darán desde hoy servicio directo a unos 184.000 usuarios y servirán para integrar a estos dos municipios en la red de Metro, una red que, así, alcanza hoy los 265 kilómetros y las 269 estaciones”.

De las 11 nuevas estaciones, cuatro se encuentran en Madrid capital (Tres Olivos, Montecarmelo, Las Tablas y Ronda de la Comunicación), otras cuatro en Alcobendas (La Granja, La Moraleja, Marqués de la Valdavia y Manuel de Falla) y tres en San Sebastián de los Reyes (Baunatal, Reyes Católicos y Hospital del Norte). De esta forma, dará servicio a 184.000 usuarios que viven o trabajan en los nuevos desarrollos urbanísticos del Norte de Madrid, los polígonos industriales del corredor de la A-1, como Los Calabozos y Vereda de los Pobres, el Soto de la Moraleja, Arroyo de la Vega y los municipios de Alcobendas y San Sebastián de los Reyes".

http://www.metromadrid.es/actualidad/2604071.htm

elmundo.es - Telefónica costeará la llegada de Metronorte a su nueva sede
http://elmundo.es/elmundo/2004/09/14/madrid/1095161650.html

http://www.google.es/search?hl=es&cr=countryES&sa=X&oi=...te+de+Madrid&spell=1

Thanks for the info... I finially figured out where the bus was listed on the emt bus site (they have the "interurbanos" listed separately--156 schedule). Looks like they run every 20-25 minutes on weekdays.

and on weekends every 40 minutes
anden no' 9

Nava

I wouldn't bother with the bus now, much better to go by the Metro, faster and more direct, and definitely a lot more frequent than having to stand there and wait between 25 & 40 mins in the Madrid heat.......

From what I can tell, the metro stop is still quite a hike from the Ikea store, whereas the bus lets you off right there (right?). I'm going to go today or tomorrow to do more reconnaissance...

quote:

the bus lets you off right there

That's right !!

Thanks Nava.

Well we made the trek today. The metro is a 15 minute walk or so from Ikea. On a day like today, that 15 minutes isn't really walkable because it is nothing but sun... It wouldn't be so bad in less-than-broiling weather.

So we took the metro to Reyes Católicos (an hour ride from La Latina) and then took the bus to Ikea and--lo and behold--it is the same 156 that goes from Plaza de Castilla. So from door to door taking the metro from La Latina, it took about and hour and twenty minutes (we caught the bus almost immediately, it could have been a much longer wait).

On the way home, we took the 156 bus all the way to Plaza de Castilla (takes about 30 minutes) and then took the 1 line to Tirso de Molina. The metro stop is right next to the bus stop, so it was an easy change. Took about an hour and fifteen minutes.

So it worked out more or less the same either way. The reason we went all the way out to SS de los Reyes is because, for whatever reason, this store is a lot better stocked than Alcorcón (you can check to see if a given item is in stock at either store on the Ikea site).

The new Ikea is supposed to be closer to the metro (las suertes--1 line). It opens next weekend and they are going to give 25 euros off delivery for people who go in metro the first week.

MY GOODNESS!!!! is metro Las Suertes still in zona A? We´ll be able to go to an Ikea only with abono A? no extra fees?

That's a great piece of feedback there, mariposita, and very interesting to note times/time differences that you quoted, I'm sure others will also take a test run of the new service, and report back in due course. But I do find it hard to believe that Ikea have not laid on a bus service, between the Metro station Reyes Catolicos and their place, in London and the UK in general this is a very common practice, you get that everywhere, and perhaps it is time for Ikea to catch on to that Idea, and reap the rewards of bringing in people right to the front door, because they are most surely losing business by not doing so.


Cheers.

Ola--
According to the new metro map Las Suertes is in Zone A:

http://www.metromadrid.es/acc_resources/pdfs/Plano_Metro_2007.pdf

It says it takes 40 minutes to get there from Sol. When I have recovered from this last trip to Ikea (could take months...), I'll check it out and report back.

Angelo--
I couldn't agree more. When I lived in DC, they ran their own bus from downtown to their store every hour. Not sure why they don't do that here. With the amount of money that people spend at Ikea, the least they could do is make it easier... though we're probably lucky that it isn't. That place is the temple of impulse buys.