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The high-speed rail service between Malaga, Madrid and Barcelona could be restored as early as 7 February
The Spanish minister of Transport has announced that the possibility exists of reopening a high-speed route between Malaga, Spain and Madrid, Spain on 7th February. On Wednesday, Óscar Puente said that the state rail infrastructure company (Adif) had received judicial authorisation to start restoring the track near Adamuz, where a serious train crash took place on 18 January.
The Andalusian high speed line was suspended after the incident until 2 February. However, this week the reopening between Malaga to Madrid has been further delayed.
After Adif receives the permit for the construction of the 1 kilometer double track, Minister expects the service to be restored within ten days.
The exact date is dependent on the progress made in the restorative processes. Two storms with strong winds and heavy rains have hit the area this week, which could cause disruption to the process.
The Minister has not stated whether the double track will be fully reopened
Puente did not specify whether only one track would be restored, or if the entire double track. In the first case, travel times will be initially delayed.
New deadline
A delay in obtaining the judicial approval has made it impossible to open on the 2nd of February, as planned.
By the end next week, high-speed trains operated by three companies in the Andalusian corridor (Renfe and its brands AVE, Avlo and Iryo; Iryo & Ouigo) can resume service. The service will be suspended for approximately three weeks.
Renfe operated some high-speed rails in the past two week, using an alternative bypass bus to replace the damaged section. The ticket price for a five-hour trip is fixed at 40 Euros.
