Walter Finch
A LONG-AWAITED high-speed rail link between Malaga and Sevilla that will knock 20 minutes is finally set to be completed – in 2025.
Known as the Almodovar del Río bypass, it will connect the two cities and has been under construction since 2020.
Despite facing horrendous delays and budget overruns, the project is now nearing completion and is expected to be operational five years later.
Initially budgeted at €11.9 million, costs have soared to €28 million due to project delays.
The construction involves laying new tracks, electrifying the line, and installing advanced traffic control systems.
Once finished, the bypass will reduce travel time between Malaga and Sevilla to just an hour and a half by removing a huge detour through Cordoba station, slashing travel times between the two Andalucian cities.
The project has been a long time coming, with initial plans dating back to 2004. However, the economic crisis of 2009-2013 forced the government to suspend work on the project.
Despite the setbacks, the Junta stuck with it and continued to invest heavily in the project, even going so far as to offer additional funding to ensure its completion.
The new rail link is expected to have a major impact on the region, boosting both tourism and business.
Sevilla and Malaga account for a massive 45% of Andalucía’s GDP, and Junta President Juanma Moreno compared the new high-speed AVE service to a ‘bridge’ between the cities that would unlock the economic tiger.
