This measure, announced by Patricia Navarro, president of the provincial PP, during a pre-campaign event, is due to an ambitious works plan by Adif. The main project involves duplicating the track section between Campamento Benítez and Plaza Mayor, covering almost three kilometers. Additionally, improvements will be made to several stations and at key points such as the airport tunnel and the railway passage under the Guadalmedina River. Platform extensions at Málaga capital station will also be carried out concurrently.
The planning for this interruption, estimated to last at least five and a half months, is detailed in Adif's Capacity Restriction Catalog for 2027, updated in late March. Although the exact dates are not yet final, as the works have not been put out to tender, the closure is considered essential to ensure safety during the track duplication.
The Ministry of Transport has justified this intervention by stating that it will increase train frequency, reducing waiting times from 20 to 15 minutes. The current project, covering 2.8 kilometers of track, has been in the drafting phase since its award in March 2025, with an 18-month execution period. The technical document is expected to be ready by September 2026, a prerequisite for the works tender.
The Ministry of Transport has argued that this intervention will allow for an increase in train frequency, reducing the current 20-minute waiting times to about 15 minutes.
The service suspension poses a significant logistical challenge for mobility on the Costa del Sol, a highly populated tourist and residential area. As the line is a Public Service Obligation, Renfe will need to implement an alternative transport plan for the thousands of affected daily commuters. In this context, Renfe's recent announcement about creating a bus subsidiary becomes particularly relevant, as it is designed to bolster provisional solutions during service interruptions.
