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!

Trains, trains… with the new high-speed AVE and Avant links in Barcelona and Sevilla, word about them has been around the mill a lot recently. But this tidbit is about Malaga’s regional train, Cercanías, which currently runs between Malaga centre and Fuengirola. Plans have been unveiled for expansion of this line to reach Estepona, with the new stretch stopping in hotspots like Marbella and 13 others along the Costa del Sol. The project is a joint planning effort between the Andalucian and national government, and has a completion date set at 2011. It will be presented in multiple stages, with several groups performing the engineering studies and construction. Included in the challenges are a 4 km, twin-track underground tunnel between Las Lagunas and La Cala de Mijas (Fuengirola area), and making the existing tracks compatible with high-performance engines reaching top speeds of 200 km/h. This last task has caused a split in logistics and two possible options:

1. Improvement of the existing line, including widening of the track beds and allowing for simultaneous Cercanías and mid- to long-range traffic. This has been the more popular option so far.
2. Construction of a completely new stretch between Malaga and Fuengirola. This would share part of the Cordoba high-speed line, cross through the Malaga airport, and go through Sierra de Mijas to meet with the remainder of the Fuengirola-Estepona track. To this end, Aena has even reserved a tunnel for this hypothetical section under the airport in its expansion plans for the new runway and terminal.