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Costa del Sol travellers will have to wait longer for a direct high-speed rail connection to Madrid, with the line now set to remain closed until at least March 23. The closure comes more than two months after the collapse of a wall near Álora during Storm Leonardo on Wednesday February 4, which blocked the AVE route and has delayed the Easter rush.

 

Sources at Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, confirmed that the service will not reopen before March 23, forcing private operators Iryo and Ouigo to cancel all March journeys to and from Málaga. Tickets already purchased are being refunded automatically via the original payment method. “Services to and from Málaga remain canceled. According to Adif, service is not expected to resume before March 23, 2026,” Iryo stated on social media, citing internal communication from Adif addressed to all three operators, including Renfe.

 

Since the closure, the only alternative for rail passengers is Renfe’s bus-train service, which runs from Málaga’s María Zambrano station to Antequera by bus before joining the high-speed train to Madrid. Tickets for this service cost €22.20, with multiple daily departures allowing a same-day return.

 

The economic impact is mounting. A study carried out last month by Turismo Costa del Sol and the Málaga Provincial Council estimated that the initial closure of the AVE line would cost the region €109 million, a figure that is set to rise with the continued disruption. The president of the Málaga Provincial Council and Costa del Sol Tourism, Francisco Salado, criticised the lack of transparency from the Ministry of Transport and Adif, warning that the delays will affect tourism, hotels, restaurants, and local businesses.

 

Málaga´s mayor Francisco de la Torre also voiced concern, describing the situation as a national issue. “We once had a prestigious railway network, but it no longer is,” he said, calling for a comprehensive investment plan in infrastructure to prevent future disruptions. José Ramón Carmona, Secretary General of the PP in Málaga, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the reputational damage and economic uncertainty in the run-up to Easter.

 

The Deputy Government Delegate in Málaga, Javier Salas, sought to reassure travellers that Holy Week operations would not be affected, pointing to 21 daily trips to Madrid via Renfe’s alternative bus-train service, with almost all tickets already sold. “The only change is a short bus transfer that adds half an hour or forty-five minutes to the final journey,” he explained, while also challenging regional claims of revenue losses, describing them as “barroom chat” rather than factual estimates.

 

 

Image: wikicommons