Staff Reporter
By Adam Husicka
TODAY marks 50 years since Malaga’s C1 Cercanias train first began operating, linking the provincial capital with Fuengirola.
Stretching 30.7 kilometres along the Costa del Sol, the line is vital for locals and tourists alike, serving seven stations and offering direct rail access to Malaga Airport, a milestone in Spanish infrastructure.
But despite its importance, the line faces growing criticism for failing to keep up with the region’s growing population and tourism sector.
Malaga’s mayor, Francisco de la Torre, took his first-ever journey on the C1 this week to mark the occasion, and didn’t hold back in pointing out the service’s limitations.
While parts of the line were upgraded between 2000 and 2007, adding double track sections in key zones and cutting wait times to 20 minutes, around 45% of the route remains single-track, a bottleneck that prevents more frequent services.
READ MORE: Feasibility study for Costa del Sol train – what’s involved in building the transport upgrade?
Today, only three trains per hour run along the line, a number generally seen as insufficient, especially during peak tourist seasons.
And while the national rail infrastructure agency is planning to double the track between Malaga Airport and Campamento Benitez within three years, other upgrades face logistical and financial hurdles, particularly in dense areas like Torreblanca to Fuengirola, where doubling the track will require major investment.
Still, the C1 has never been more popular. Over 16 million passengers used the service in 2024, thanks in part to government subsidies that made commuter passes free for frequent travellers.
Not everyone on the Costa has had that privilege, however.
For years, coastal municipalities have demanded the line be extended westward to Marbella, Spain’s largest city without a train station, home to over 150,000 residents.
Multiple proposals have come and gone, but recently the central government awarded a €1 million contract for a feasibility study on expanding rail services across the entire Costa del Sol, from Nerja to Algeciras.
The study is due to deliver initial results by early 2026, but funding for this ambitious project remains a major obstacle.
Engineers believe that EU support and private investment may be needed, as the central government is unlikely to bankroll such a large-scale infrastructure project alone in the coming years.
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