Storm Francis halts train services between Algeciras and Antequera for several days

Railway traffic between Algeciras (Cadiz) and the Antequera Santa Ana station (Malaga) remained interrupted on Wednesday, 7 January, due to flooding on the tracks caused by storm Francis on Sunday.

The current situation has been denounced by Algeciras mayor José Ignacio Landaluce, who expressed his "deep concern". The mayor informed the public that "since Sunday" the railway service "has suffered continuous cuts due to the accumulation of water on the tracks". This has led state railway operator Renfe to replace the trains with alternative transport by road between Algeciras and Antequera Santa Ana, including taxis.

Landaluce said that this creates a "significant inconvenience for residents, especially students, workers and regular passengers" and also "highlights the lack of foresight and planning on the part of the competent administrations".

"Once again, Algeciras suffers the consequences of improvised decisions, without structural solutions that guarantee the continuity and safety of the service in the face of adverse weather events," the mayor said, adding that these consistent breakdowns of the railway connection "show a serious deficit of investment and infrastructure".

According to Landaluce, what "should be safe and efficient" turns "into a succession of improvised solutions, with a negative impact on transport, economy and the daily life of thousands of Algeciras residents and visitors".

Algeciras town hall has demanded that Renfe, Adif and the Ministry of Transport carry out the necessary actions to improve the drainage and the resistance of the line in case of heavy rains, establish "serious and planned contingency plans to avoid that each storm affects the service repeatedly" and guarantee the technical and economic investment that the railway connection to Algeciras requires.