Costa del Sol Cercanias celebrates it 50th Anniversary, while coastal mayors voice concerns about its limitations and future growth.

Adam Husicka

Today marks 50 years since the first C1 Cercanias train began running between Malaga and Fuengirola.

The line, which stretches 30.7 km along the Costa del Sol and serves seven stations, is a vital one for both locals and tourists. It offers direct access to Malaga Airport and represents a landmark in Spanish infrastructure.

The line is under increasing criticism because it has not kept up with the growing tourism and population in the region. 

Francisco de la Torre took his first ever journey on the C1 to mark the occasion this week. He didn’t hesitate to point out the limitations of the service.

While the line was upgraded in parts between 2000 and 2007 adding double tracks to key zones and cutting waiting times to 20 mins, about 45% of it remains single track, a bottleneck preventing more frequent services. 

Currently, there are only three trains running per hour along this line. Many people find that number insufficient, particularly during the peak tourist seasons. 

While the national rail infrastructure agency plans to double the track from Malaga Airport to Campamento Benitez in three years, there are still many logistical and financial obstacles, especially for dense areas such as Torreblanca and Fuengirola where the doubling of the track would require major investments.

C1 still hasn’t been as popular. The service will serve 16 million passengers in 2024 thanks to subsidies from the government that make commuter passes for frequent travellers free.

However, not everyone has been able to enjoy this privilege.

Since years, the coastal municipalities have been demanding that the line be extended to Marbella. This is Spain’s biggest city without a station and home to more than 150,000 people.

Multiple proposals have come and gone, but recently the central government awarded a €1 million contract for a feasibility study on expanding rail services across the entire Costa del Sol, from Nerja to Algeciras.

The initial results of the study are due by 2026. However, funding this ambitious project is a major challenge. 

Engineers think that EU funding and private investment will be necessary, since the central government won’t be able to fund such a large infrastructure project in the near future.

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