An update to my last post: along with the closing of both main downtown Malaga stations, the schedule is shifting a bit as well. Be prepared to hop your normal train about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, since at least for the endpoints of the C1 line this is the supposed difference in schedule. But don’t get your hopes up yet of an actual improvement in the train frequency – for now the trains will still only come by every 30 minutes. The Minister of Public Works declared back in 2005 that we would be seeing trains every 20 minutes once the stretch between Benalmadena and Fuengirola was widened, but that still only remains a possibility by the end of this year. (The reason: they say new houses are in the way of this happening, houses that weren’t shown in the original expansion plans.) Compare this to more streamlined timetables such as in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and San Sebastian, where they hone down the frequency to as low as 5 and 10 minutes at peak times.

The next big change will probably come with the completion of the airport reforms, projected for 2010. This will include a new train station actually located below the new passenger terminal in the Malaga airport, allowing passengers to connect directly from their flight to the AVE (long-range) or Cercanias (regional) trains. The rerouted C1 line of Cercanias will go under the new runway, and rejoin its original route further on. By this time it’s expected that this line will run every 15 minutes or even less, accommodating business travellers like myself and surely making tourists’ lives easier!

If you’re reading this, it’s likely you use Renfe’s Cercanías train to go somewhere in between Fuengirola and Malaga. But hang on to your hat – according to the daily 20 minutos, not only is the station closing in the city centre (Centro-Alameda), but also the one inside the Renfe train station, Málaga-Renfe. The service will still run, but the only access for downtown Malaga will be through the main train station, where Cercanias will share track space with the AVE trains. If you’re not familiar with this station, referred to as Estación Maria Zambrano or simply the Renfe, it is located inside the Vialia shopping centre, and contains both the large station for long-range trains and the Cercanias regional train stop. It’s about a 15-minute walk from downtown Malaga (click on the map for walking directions).

Starting a week from today, April 2, both downtown stations will be closed down for an indeterminate period for improvements on the loading platforms and access tunnels. This means a large majority of the people who normally use the downtown stop, totaling around 8,000 daily, will be added to the over 4,000 already using the Renfe stop. The Spanish rail authority Adif won’t set an end date for the project, but its magnitude means changes will probably take at least a year. A company rep commented that "the important thing is that the clients know it’s closing," yet you can only find a few small signs in the centre station. Doesn’t sound like it’s a big priority of theirs, especially if it took a reader tipping off a free newspaper for the press to get word - something just doesn’t add up. Maybe if we make enough fuss about it, we’ll see it in the headlines tomorrow!

Don’t think the Spanish airline execs didn’t pay attention in economy class. If they were dozing off, they were dreaming of ways to beat out the competition, and still are. With Iberia’s announcement of a new business-class offering for Malaga-Madrid, we can say they’re recognizing AVE’s success in the new high-speed train on this same route. Or we can say they’re just offering a new product for the benefit of the common good, but hey – we would only be putting blinders on, since informed travellers are well aware of the options and many have chosen the AVE lately.

Iberia seems to be targeting the work world with this new fare class, available for 125.37 € (~96 £) for a one-way trip, and a reduced round-trip of 226.74 € (~174 £). They claim these kinds of tickets will be available for purchase from their website (iberia.com) even on the day of the flight, making it simple for workers with quickly-changing agendas to keep up. Compare these with Renfe’s AVE one-way tickets, which float around 115 € and 135 € for their business (preferente) and first class (club) tickets, respectively.

Of course Iberia and Renfe both have economy-class tickets for this trajectory, as low as 32 € and 68 € for one-way trips. I couldn’t find any that low on Iberia’s site, but surely it has much to do with hi/lo seasons, something which doesn’t seem to affect the train system nearly as much.

Ever wondered what a high-speed train is like from the cab, or how in the world the drivers can make decisions so quickly when reaching speeds of 300 km/h? Even though the high-speed realm is relatively new to Malaga (see previous post), its inner workings are getting a workover throughout Europe. A new system is being implemented in stages to decrease reliance on and eventually eliminate track-side signals, and since this means less driver interaction, it will allow for increased speeds. When you’re going 300 km/h, you don’t have time to see a signal outside, react and make a 300-ton train slow down before reaching a switch or station. The new system with an impressive acronym (ERTMS - European Railway Traffic Management System) uses GSM-R radio signals to pull data from track sensors and communicate train positioning, velocity, braking guides and other stats to the driver and control centres. You can read more about ERTMS from the Union of the European Railway Industries, who even has videos showing this technology’s guts in a very simple manner.

Ave high-speed trains are using at least level-1 ERTMS, including those coming into Malaga. Signalling will be discussed in the next World Conference on High-Speed Sign System, which will be held in Malaga, interestingly enough. According to the Spanish government, this congress will bring together rail operators, infrastructure managers, and service providers from around the world.

Francisco de la Torre has gone on record claiming that the arrival of the high-speed AVE train to Malaga will not have a negative impact on the Malaga airport. There has been conjecture about just this, no doubt some based on the case of Seville’s airfield, which suffered a crisis in 1992 when the AVE arrived there. Their number of passengers stagnated and growth slowed to a crawl compared to other Andalucian airports.

On the contrary, says Mayor de la Torre. He maintains that it may actually strengthen the airport’s traffic, since the new connections in nearby Antequera and Puente Genil (Cordoba) will bring people wanting to catch a flight at the airport. He’s got a point - not all traffic through the airport is national; international flights and hops over to the islands represent a great percentage as well. This seems to be one of those wait-and-see situations: while people get used to using the trains, look for "special deals" on flights within Spain in the upcoming weeks and months.

Looking for alternatives to the puddle-jumper plane connections or slower regional trains? Renfe is expanding services offered in and out of Malaga by leaps and bounds, especially in regards to newer high-speed trains. December marked a large milestone with the introduction of the AVE link to Madrid, slashing the trip time and price considerably from previous offerings. This connection was largely due to the completion of the high-speed-approved section between Malaga and Cordoba.

Now, the offering has been expanded to include Barcelona and Sevilla in the high-speed range, service on both to start tomorrow. To give you an idea of the time savings, the Barcelona voyage used to take over half a day (13 ½ hours), and the Sevilla trip about 2 ½ hours. Conventional trains will still run to Sevilla alongside the new alta velocidad Avant service.