Metro progress and tranvia plans

Work on the next phase of Málaga's metro network passed another milestone on March 10 when two tunnels under construction were connected beneath the Guadalmina river. The successful link between the two means that the new tunnels could be completed later this year with trains running by the end of 2022. Another multi-million euro investment is now required to install tracks and equipment for the new stretch of the underground service.

The new service will extend Lines 1 and 2 north from their present terminus at El Perchel to a new station at Guadalmina where Line 1 will branch off east to a new terminus at Atarazanas station. Line 2 will terminate at Guadalmina for the time being until its new extension north to the Hospital Civil is completed.

Meanwhile, Vélez-Málaga is planning to get its tranvía services running once again with cash from the €140 billion Covid recovery fund which the EU is expected to make available to Spain. The town’s councillor for mobility and transport José María Domínguez said last month that €16.5 million would be needed to get the system operational.

The public tram system which ran between Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar was suspended in 2012 because of the debts it had accumulated, since when the infrastructure has not been maintained. The councillor said that plans for the revised system would include trams running every 15 minutes, and connecting with local bus services.