Yzabelle Bostyn
THE Government of Spain will investigate a project that would extend the Malaga railway line to Marbella and beyond, sparking hope for the long awaited Costa del Sol train.
The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Movement will call a working group together to consider the Costa del Sol train project.
It will also include the Junta de Andalucia and the town halls involved.
Although there is no specific date set for the working group to begin, it will study the feasibility of the project including the social, economic and environmental impact.
Photo: Adif
It will look into the demand in each proposed stop, the needs of each community, the environment impact, the difficulty of construction and the possible costs.
According to the ministry, the project recently submitted by Malaga city council was ‘insufficient’.
It proposed eight years of work between €2,500-2,700 million.
The report proposed the construction of a new 47 kilometre long railway line.
It would connect the current high speed line between Cordoba and Malaga to Marbella while adapting the existing C1 line.
The line would pass through the airport, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Mijas.
It also aims to add two connecting lines measuring 11km.
According to the report’s demand estimations, the new line would be ready by 2032 to serve between 34-46 million passengers.
Spokesperson from the Malagan government, Javier Salas, has said the working group will be ‘quick, we want it to be before the start of summer and therefore, it will take place around the end of June or mid July.’
He has confirmed the meeting is intended to ‘discuss the problem of mobility on the Costa del Sol and in particular, the coastal train.’
“The Spanish Government is committed to solving the need for better mobility in Malaga,” said Salas.
“This is evident now with all the work they are doing on the motorways.”
He claims the Minister for Transport is invested in the project after they met at another working group two weeks ago.
