Malaga metro on track to carry 18 million passengers this year

Back in 2004 when the first metro network was designed for Malaga city, which has since undergone countless variations, reports produced by the Junta de Andalucía and the company contracted to build the network estimated that the trains would carry some 18 million passengers each year, once the city centre stations opened.

At that time the lines were planned to go as far as the Plaza de la Marina and La Malagueta, whereas now they only go as far as the Alameda Principal, which is in the centre of the city.

Until now, the actual passenger numbers have been far from the target, although since the opening of the Guadalmedina (next to El Corte Inglés) and Atarazanas (on the north side of the Alameda Principal) stations, they are heading in the right direction.

The number of passengers has almost doubled, from almost 6.9 million in its best year before the pandemic (2019), to 13.6 million at the end of 2023, according to data from the Junta de Andalucía.

The report published by the Junta for the first decade of the Malaga metro includes a crucial prediction: so far this year up to July it has already exceeded 10 million users, and the forecast is that by the end of December the target of 18 million will be reached.

If it happens, it would be almost 4.5 million more than the previous year (which was almost three full months short, since the opening of the central stations took place at the end of March).

The central government and the Andalusian regional government together subsidise up to 60 per cent of the ticket price, which could have an effect on the current numbers of users . It remains to be seen, therefore, how demand will change when the normal fare has to be paid, although for the moment there is no sign of a return to this situation, at least in the short term.

These ten years have provided many other milestones. For example, since the metro first went into use, the trains have carried nearly 70 million passengers. Meanwhile, the monthly record was set this year, in March, with a total of 1,703,384 people.

The day with the highest number of passengers recorded in 2024 was 6 April, with 92,091 passengers, coinciding with Maundy Thursday. Lastly, the arrival of the line to the city centre has changed the use of the stations. Until then, the station with the highest rate of use was the El Perchel. However, the implementation of the extension to the Alameda has led to a change in demand and now Atarazanas is the stop with the highest passenger numbers, as it is the most centrally located.