EXPERTS have offered a solution to building the impossible Costa del Sol by suggesting that a tunnel is dug under the A7 motorway.
Only a year and a half ago the Transport Minister, Oscar Puete, said that there was no way to get a train to Marbella, citing price and difficulty as the main reasons.
The area’s mountainous terrain also poses complications.
Now, however, Puete has said that a train is ‘possible and we will do it’ – the ministry even has a preferred way of bringing the train to Marbella, they want to dig a tunnel under the A7 motorway.
Urban planning in the Costa del Sol never reserved the necessary space for a train’s infrastructure and therefore excavating a tunnel for the train to pass through would be the ideal option.
Similar space saving options are used for trams, lanes from roads are removed and replaced with tracks.
Inspired by the Malaga metro, a ‘cut and cover’ system would be used to bring the train to Marbella – this involves excavating side walls and filling them with concrete before installing a slab on top and then digging out the tunnel’s interior.
If this approach is chosen, the most feasible option would be to continue the tunnel that already exists in Fuengirola or, alternatively, the commuter rail line (Cercanias) could be extended.
The route would be at least 15km long and could take up to two years, according to Angel Garcia Vidal, an engineer and representative of the Colegio de Ingeniero de Caminos de Andalucia in Malaga.
If the ministry proceeds quickly, bids could start to come in in the next six months, this would then be followed by six months of construction.
Each coastal stretch would cost between €40 million and €60 million, says Garcia Vidal.
If the track is constructed in sections none of the consulted experts believe that it will be finished in under four years with one 2024 study, funded by Unicaja Banco, including a statement from engineer Jose Alba, that said a train between Malaga and Marbella would take eight years.
Alba estimated it would cost between €2,500 million and €2,800 million depending on what approach is taken.
Currently the potential coastal train route between Nerja and Algeciras is being studied by consulting firm WSP and it is assumed that its construction would cost €6,700 million by Seopan.
Although, data collected by the Transport Ministry suggests that this route is in high demand and shows that it would transport approximately 50 million passengers annually if all four sections are included.
These sections are Nerja to Malaga, Malaga to Fuengirola, Fuengirola to Estepona, and Estepona to Algeciras.
Currently the C-1 line between Malaga and Fuengirola is extremely popular – last year it transported 17 million passengers and the ministry is aware that it is operating at current capacity.
In summer, it carries 116% of its capacity.
Therefore, train routes along the Costa del Sol are popular and more would be greatly appreciated by those living in, and visiting, the area.
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