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THE Malaga metro system has smashed its all-time Semana Santa passenger record, despite being hit by a wave of industrial action.
It was the busiest Easter period ever for the underground system.
The Regional Ministry of Development has reported that demand is up 0.2% from 2025.
This result is even more impressive because services were only partially interrupted.
Workers demanded a new collective agreement, and so they went on strike Holy Monday, Thursday and Wednesday.
The frequency of trains was reduced during the peak hours when the crowds headed into the centre of the city for the processions.
Residents swarmed into the metro on Holy Monday to attend the Cautivo processions.
There were long lines, delays and overcrowded train cars for thousands.
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Demand remained high despite this throughout the week.
Regional government sources insisted ‘the public response stayed steady.’
The metro averaged 71,900 daily passengers over the 10-day period.
Holy Monday, once again, was the busiest day, with 103 518 travelers. Holy Thursday was the next busiest day with 95,234.
Easter Sunday had the highest increase. The number of travelers increased by 22,6% to 32,268.
Metro operated its 68-hour nonstop service from Wednesday to Friday. On several days, operating hours were extended into the early hours.
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A large part of the passenger traffic was handled by central stations, such as Atarazanas and Guadalmedina due to their proximity with the official procession route.
Metro de Malaga has also increased security and staffing. Security personnel were onboard all night trains to deal with the large number of passengers.
Although there were some moments of tension due to overcrowding, no major incidents have been reported by the authorities.
The dispute that led to the strike remains unresolved. The works council applauded the strike last week. It highlighted the strong unity of workers in their continued push for better conditions.
The operating results for this year would have likely been higher without the disruption.
The Olive Press has more Malaga News. Click here to read it.
