Madrid-Malaga passengers say it's hard not to think of train crash victims while passing through Adamuz
The first passengers who tested the partial "reopening" of the high-speed line between Madrid and Malaga said the journey had been long but calm
The first passengers to use the train-bus high-speed service from Madrid after the Adamuz train crash arrived in Malaga around 12pm. There were only 50 of them, far from the 300 that a train can accommodate.
Among them were long-haul tourists who have Malaga as part of their Spanish itinerary, locals who want to visit the seaside and professionals who travel for work.
SUR spoke to some of the passengers, most of whom shared similar feelings of sadness knowing that they had passed through Adamuz, where two trains crashed a month ago, causing 47 deaths.
Alejandro works in digital marketing for a Madrid agency. Among his clients is a hotel in Benalmádena, which is why he travelled to Malaga on Wednesday.
Although other passengers said that they hadn't felt anything different about the route when passing through Adamuz, Alejandro said that he had felt vibrations. Everybody, however, noticed the train slowing down, as per the current speed restrictions.
"Life goes on and I will continue using the train"
What was most striking for Alejandro was to see some remains of the wrecked trains. "I felt a lot of grief and sadness for the victims' families," he said.
"It may sound very harsh, but something like this has had to happen for those at the top to do what they have to do," he criticised, before adding that "life goes on" and he has to continue using the train.
Foreign tourists were not as aware of the accident. Alberto from Mexico said that he only found out on Tuesday, because his train got cancelled. "The journey went well, although it was slower," he said.
Adriana came from Madrid for a short holiday with her boyfriend. "I knew we were going to pass through that stretch but I was asleep and didn't realise," she told SUR.
What she noticed was that the train was "quite empty". "I thought it would be more crowded, because the tickets are cheap," she said. Adriana said that fear hadn't stopped her from buying the tickets the day before and that the journey had gone smoothly.
"The journey was excellent, we didn't have any problems, although it was slower," said Jessica, who has travelled to Spain all the way from Colombia with her friends Hilary and Tatiana.
First journey to Madrid
The first passengers to take advantage of the partial "reopening" of the high-speed train line between Malaga and Madrid departed from the Costa del Sol by bus at 7.30am on Wednesday. The trip takes four and a half hours, with the speed restrictions near Adamuz.
After a complete reopening for Seville, Granada and Cordoba, the connection from Malaga still requires a bus transfer due to a landslide in Álora.
Following the first bus at 7.25am, there are six other buses to Antequera-Santa Ana at: 9.30am, 11.18am, 2.09pm, 3.20pm, 5.18pm and 7.30pm. In the opposite direction, from Madrid-Atocha, trains to Antequera-Santa Ana leave at: 7.20am, 9.35am, 11.35am, 1.35pm, 2pm, 3.35pm, 5.30pm and 7.50pm.
A more expensive early-bird connection is available at 5.13am on Thursday. The train arrives in Madrid at 10.06am. This service aims to facilitate travelling for workers. This journey, however, is almost five hours due to a stop at all intermediate stations.
State railway operator Renfe is the only company offering an alternative by road from Malaga to Madrid for the next two weeks.
The website has made available tickets for eight outbound and eight return journeys at an affordable price of 22.20 euros. These prices, however, are not fixed and have already started to climb.
