High-speed trains celebrate 'coming of age' in Malaga with more than 1,000 trains during Christmas holidays
The city has gone from having six daily high-speed (AVE) services to more than 25, thanks to the incorporation of private operators and the multiplication of lines and connections
The high-speed railway service (AVE) celebrated 18 years in operation in Malaga this past Christmas. The first commercial service was on Christmas Eve 2007 - one day after then minister of public work Magdalena Álvarez inaugurated it.
At that time, there were just six scheduled services a day, only to Madrid. Today, with the liberalisation of railway communications, there are more than 25 daily connections to several cities or 200 on peak weekends if the Avant and Media Distancia services are included.
Currently, trains of state railway operator Renfe (AVE and Avlo) and private companies Iryo and Ouigo are running on the Madrid-Andalucía network. Malaga's María Zambrano station is beginning to show signs of lack of capacity. The infrastructure requires continuous improvement and investment due to the high number of trains passing through.
Throughout Spain, 22,160 high-speed, long-distance and medium-distance trains ran this Christmas. On New Year's Eve alone, 1,100 trains were scheduled. The figure rose to 1,278 on Friday, 19 December, the start date of the departure operation.
Ranking
By stations, Madrid Puerta de Atocha Almudena Grandes led in number of operations, with 4,590 trains during the holidays. This is in addition to the 2,978 trains scheduled at Chamartín Clara Campoamor. Barcelona Sants station had scheduled 2,613 trains (both arrivals and departures) over the Christmas period. The fourth node was Seville's Santa Justa, with 1,778 trains.
Behind them were Alacant Terminal, with 1,146, and Valladolid Campo Grande, with 1,221. The Malaga station was in seventh place, with 1,085 trains. It should be noted that María Zambrano is a final stop, which means that there are no trains that just pass through to get to their destination. After María Zambrano came Valencia Joaquín Sorolla, with 1,007 trains.
New services
The Christmas holidays reflected the expansion of the railway service throughout the country. High-speed services closed 2025 with a new record: a growth of 6% over the whole of 2024 in the first nine months of the year and a 5% increase in passenger traffic.
Passengers now have a new information system, recently implemented by railway infrastructure company Adif. With this tool, they can view on their mobile phones the same information displayed on the large screens and electronic indicators at the stations, including all train departure and arrival times, assigned platforms and other real-time data. This allows them to consult the information from anywhere, without needing to stay next to the large monitors in the terminals. The new system is already available at 195 stations and can be accessed simply by scanning a QR code.
To facilitate accessibility to rail transport for all passengers, those with difficulties, reduced mobility or any type of disability can request the Adif Acerca service - free assistance that makes it easier for them to pass through stations and get on and off the train.
Investments
The Ministry of Transport, via Adif, has been comprehensively renovating the railway infrastructure that connects Madrid with Andalucía since 2021. More than 700 million euros have been spent. But even then, the complete renewal of the line between Madrid and Seville is necessary after three decades of service.
