Following the announcement made this Tuesday by the Junta de Andalucía, the possibility of a future coastal train for the Costa Tropical has once again taken center stage. The inclusion of this rail connection in the revision of the Andalusian Territorial Planning Plan (POTA) generates expectations in a region that has demanded this infrastructure for decades.

This step opens the door for the train not only to connect Cádiz with Nerja but also to extend towards Granada, passing through key municipalities such as Almuñécar and Motril. Local institutions have received the news positively, albeit with caution, awaiting the transformation of promises into concrete actions.

The Port of Motril is poised to be one of the major beneficiaries of this historic project. The President of the Port Authority, José García Fuentes, described the news as "very positive," emphasizing the importance of "any improvement in communications" and "gaining connectivity on the coast." García Fuentes highlighted the urgency of these infrastructures for the region, noting they would have a "very positive impact on passenger traffic and also on the decarbonization of the A-7".

The port president also mentioned the relevance of the connection with Granada for freight traffic, which is also included in the POTA. He expressed gratitude for the "sensitivity of the Junta de Andalucía towards the major infrastructures that structure the territory".

The city of Motril celebrates this advancement. The mayor, Luisa García Chamorro, and the deputy mayor for Tourism Promotion, María Ángeles Escámez, expressed their satisfaction. The mayor stated they see "a light at the end of the tunnel" for this infrastructure, recalling that counselor Rocío Díaz had previously committed to including the line in the POTA.

García Chamorro criticized that the coastal train ends in Nerja without reaching Motril or Almuñécar, and stressed the importance of the Junta including the line's continuation to Motril. This step, according to the mayor, "must compel the competent administration, which in this case is the Central Government, to draft the project and seek funding".

The mayor called on the Central Government to "fight for the interests of the Costa Tropical" and take charge of drafting the project and its financing. Regarding the Motril-Granada connection, she lamented that they have been "given a slammed door" despite efforts, including a feasibility study commissioned by the Port itself from the University of Granada.

María Ángeles Escámez hopes the news "does not remain a press release" and that the promise is fulfilled, trusting that the train will reach Motril within the next four years. She demanded that the region has "industries" and a "port," and considers the lack of rail connection for goods "shameful," wishing for the train to become a reality for "ancestors, for the present, and for those to come".