Why have the four escalators at Malaga Airport train station been out of service for several months now?
The president of the state railway operator Renfe has responded to complaints from passengers who have to struggle with their luggage on the stairs instead
The escalators on the platforms at Cercanías train station at Malaga Airport are still out of service. It has been two years since state railway operator Renfe said that one of them needed a part from South Korea in order to be fixed. Although only one part was needed at the time, all four escalators have been broken this year, complicating things for passengers and damaging the Costa del Sol's reputation as a major tourist hub.
The escalators started going out of service one after the other between February and April this year. For the time being, passengers with mobility issues have to wait for the lifts, which have a limited capacity. Those who can, carry their suitcases up the stairs.
Regular C1 Malaga city - Fuengirola line passenger Paco Moya from Torremolinos has been demanding improvements for quite some time. He has become known on social media for his criticism of Renfe's work. His latest attack targeted Renfe president Álvaro Fernández Heredia.
Fernández Heredia saw Moya's post on X (formerly Twitter) and said that it has taken them so long to start the work (July this year), because some escalators require "custom-made parts", which is not as easy as just buying new elements.
The president of Renfe expressed his willingness to travel to the Cercanías station at the airport and listen to Moya's demands.
Overcrowded lifts
Passengers who use the Cercanías service to get to and from Malaga Airport will have to wait at least another two months before the repair of the escalators is completed. Until then, crowds will continue filling the lifts and the area in front of them.
Moya said that he doesn't understand why Renfe could not resort to methods such as 3D printing to make the parts, which could be much faster.
Rail passengers have asked Renfe for a definitive technical solution for problematic escalators
Moya believes that, as long as the current escalators are used, breakdowns will continue happening, which is why he urges Renfe to replace them altogether. "It is a question of making a technical decision because we are making fools of ourselves with this issue. If a part has to come from Korea, like last time, nobody can guarantee that another one won't break and be out of service for months," he said.
Extending opening hours
Moya, however, acknowledged the overall decrease in technical incidents in the Cercanías system. In addition, he said that trains have become more punctual, especially on the C1 (Costa del Sol) line. The C2 (Guadalhorce valley) line still experiences more delays and cancellations.
Moya directed another demand at Renfe: the extension of the service's opening hours. "We have the same timetables as 30 years ago, but now people have a different pace of life, not only during the fair and Easter Week," he said, urging the railway operator to extend hours so that people "can return home after dinner in Malaga".
"That's just a matter of political will and hardly costs any money. Sometimes they use the excuse of night-time track maintenance, but that usually takes place later in the early hours," he said. "We know the expansion works will come in time, but this is very necessary and could be done right now."
