Junta invests 330 million euros in metro and tram systems as part of infrastructure projects

The Junta de Andalucía's commitment to sustainable mobility will see the largest investments in infrastructure allocated to public transport for subways and trams in the upcoming regional budgets for 2026.

Andalucía's regional government plans to allocate 330 million euros next year for extensions to Andalucía's subway (metro) systems and to complete the work needed to bring the Jaen and Alcalá de Guadaíra tramways into service.

The regional minister for public works, Rocío Díaz, highlighted this effort in the new budget, which represents "the biggest commitment in the history of Andalucía to the metropolitan railway system".

Díaz stressed the importance of this commitment by the Junta, describing the undertaking to expand the metros simultaneously in the cities Seville, Granada and Malaga as "unprecedented".

Next year's investments will allow the continuation of the Seville Metro extension work on Line 3 North, which is currently underway on the first three sections, from Pino Montano to the Ronda Histórica intersection. The fourth section, between Macarena and María Auxiliadora, is expected to be put out to tender in the near future.

At the same time, Juanma Moreno's government has allocated funds for drafting plans for Line 3 South, which now has a more ambitious route than the original one, aiming to reach the City of Justice and Bellavista. The 2026 investment also includes funding for a preliminary study of Line 2, which involves extending the metro to Aljarafe, one of the most populated areas in the Seville metropolitan area.

As for Malaga's metro, work will continue with the extension of Line 2 to the new hospital and, by 2026, it will have all three sections under construction. Furthermore, the preliminary study is expected to be drafted to determine the route for its continued extension through Ciudad Jardín, El Palo or the Technology Park (PTA).

The budget will also enable Granada's metro to reach a milestone in 2026 with the completion of work on the southern extension, connecting it to the municipalities of Churriana de la Vega and Las Gabias. The 2026 budget includes the necessary allocations for fulfilling the Junta's 'master plan', which will be responsible for defining any future extensions to Andalucía's suburban rail network using technical criteria, as well as promoting strategies and measures to improve the current service.

The year 2026 will also be a key year for completing all pending work and tests for the commissioning of the Jaén tramway, which has required a costly overhaul of the rolling stock and infrastructure, totalling 8.5 million euros.

Likewise, completion of the pending work on the Alcalá de Guadaíra tramway is expected, including the electrification system, railway system and signalling, as well as the construction of the workshops and depots, where the first trains are expected to arrive in the first half of next year, according to the regional ministry for public works.

In addition to this investment effort, 208 million euros will be devoted next year solely to the operation of the three metro lines, the Cadiz 'Trambahía' tramway and the first year of service coverage for the Jaén tramway, once its commissioning is complete.

In terms of sustainable mobility for population movement, the budget also highlights the allocations for the nine transport consortia in Andalucía, which have increased by more than 23%, reaching 182 million euros by 2026. This investment increase is in line with record passenger numbers and the approval of the various metropolitan transport plans from the region's major conurbations.