A group of Spanish rail experts, commuters, engineers and enthusiasts have put forward a plan for a new train line intended to link some of the most popular destinations along Andalusia’s Mediterranean coast as well as to spread tourist footfall away from crowded Costa del Sol hotspots to undiscovered gems.
Malaga to Marbella in under 50 minutes
Extending the Malaga – Fuengirola line, the new service would aim to connect Malaga and Marbella in under 50 minutes in order to be a viable alternative to ride-sharing which currently dominates. Part of the challenge includes what approach to take to navigating the scenic treasures of the Guadalhorce valley.
The answer could take many forms, according to the raft of proposals being considered. These ideas include turning visitors’ (and potential residents’) gaze slightly inland to places such as Mijas Pueblo, a whitewashed, blossom-filled village which perches 400 metres above sea level, just 30km (19 miles) from Malaga on the slopes of the Sierra del Mijas.
Opening up a range of day trips
As well as making vital infrastructure like hospitals and bus stations more reachable, coastal destinations could also benefit from the new rail line – places such as Alhaurin de la Torre with its oriental gardens, nearby hiking and summer festival; Alhuarin el Grande; Coin; and, beyond Marbella, the quaint former farming village of San Pedro Alcantara which is now a small Marbella-dependent market community.
Making car-free day trips all along the coast a possibility, the rail route would take advantage of panoramic valley views while allowing its developers to avoid the costs of having to burrow expensive metro line tunnels through the hillsides.
Solving housing and integration
“When the line was first planned along the coast, Malaga was mainly a holiday destination, but in 20 years the city and its metropolitan area has become something else, now it is a place where people come to live, and the needs are different,” train driver Pablo Marín said, speaking to Sur.
Promoting the benefits of an inland rail line beyond the addition to the tourist offer, Marín pointed out the advantages the line could bring for the local population and connectivity: “It helps to structure the province in terms of population; it solves housing problems as it is cheaper inland and it encourages social integration for people who live in remote areas.”
The region’s international visitors meanwhile hail mostly from the UK, Germany and France, with numbers seeing significant increases in recent years. In 2022, the region generated €8 billion in tourism revenue, an 8% increase from the previous year according to the Spanish national statistics office.
