Yzabelle Bostyn
SPAIN’S transport minister will meet with local leaders this month to discuss the long-awaited Costa del Sol train.
It seems the Costa del Sol train project may already have wheels as a date is set for the first meeting of government and local officials.
Due to take place in Malaga on July 17, it is the official start of the ‘Working Group for Mobility in Malaga’.
READ MORE: Malaga plans to approve the Costa del Sol train project and elimination of toll roads within a year
Photo: Cordon Press
The meeting will be attended by the Minister for Transport, Oscar Puente, as well as representatives from the Junta, Diputacion de Malaga, the Malaga council and Marbella council.
Other councils affected by the train proposal may also attend.
It will be overseen by the State Secretary for Transport, Jose Antonio Santano.
However, he has offered co-presidency of the meeting to the Andalucian Minister for Development, Rocio Diaz.
The meeting aims to begin advancing the project and hearing the views of collectives, businesspeople, councils and locals in Malaga.
As previously reported, the working group intends to explore the social, economic and environmental viability of the Costa del Sol route.
Santano has recognised the ‘strong demand’ and ‘high cost’ of the project, which he says will need to be analysed in detail.
READ MORE: Locals burn effigy of Costa del Sol train during traditional San Juan celebrations
According to the Ayuntamiento de Malaga and the Diputacion de Malaga, it will cost around €2,700 million and take at least eight years.
This proposal was called ‘insufficient’ by Santano, pushing instead for the now materialised working group to consider the topic.
The train has been a priority for the Partido Popular and affected councils.
This week, Rocio Diaz, approved the final version of the Costa del Sol Ordnance Plan.
It will be subject to environmental checks before being given to the central government for approval.
The plan has considered the needs of nine Malaga municipalities, including the coastal train and the elimination of charges on the AP-7 toll road.
“We have a big opportunity to improve mobility in Malaga province and the Costa del Sol,” she said.
