Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
The Spanish Ministry of Transport finally revealed plans to increase capacity of the C1 Malaga – Fuengirola commuter rail line by 60 percent and to change its frequency of 20 to 15 times per hour.
The plan discussed during a conference on mobility improvements for Malaga and the Costa del Sol Train is intended to help address the high level of demand on this line that serves over 14,000,000 people each year and nearly 40,000 daily commuters.
The first phase of the functional study has been completed to speed up implementation. In the immediate future, it is discussed that five stations will be upgraded (Los Boliches, Carvajal, El Pinillo, Plaza Mayor, and Centro Alameda), allowing 100 metre trains to run through them, the Benalmadena platform to be extended to 200 metres and doubling of tracks between Aeropuerto, Campamento Benitez, to improve reliability. The second phase is currently being developed and explores ways to increase capacity and frequency. It requires track doubling between Torremolinos and El Pinillo as well as Benalmadena and Campo de Golf. Upgrades to control, command and signalling systems will be part of additional works.
In June, a feasibility report was released to evaluate the project’s viability. Efforts are also being made to reduce congestion on the A-7 by implementing traffic studies and improving connectivity between A-7 and AP-7. A €6.6 million project to modify the Caleta de Velez junction has been approved, and plans for northern access to Malaga’s airport are advancing.
Over €106 million in European funds are supporting sustainable mobility in Malaga, with €61 million allocated for railway, road, and port improvements, €40 million for local sustainable transport initiatives like bike lanes and low-emission zones, and €6 million for electrifying heavy vehicle fleets and digitalising transport systems. It is unclear when this work will be finished. For now, however, projects are starting to move forward.
