Malaga train station shopkeepers suffer big losses amid AVE rail suspension
Bars and shops have laid off staff due to a lack of customers at the Vialia shopping centre, which is where the María Zambrano station is located
The suspension of the Malaga-Madrid AVE train line has caused a sharp decrease in customers at the Vialia shopping centre, which houses the María Zambrano station. This, in turn, has led to big financial losses for local bars, restaurants and shops.
"Sales have fallen by 80 per cent," is the general agreement among shopkeepers.
SUR visited Vialia around midday on Thursday, supposedly the peak time for customers. The situation was pitiful: empty tables, closed main café and fewer workers.
"We usually have six people working here during each shift, but now there are only four of us, because nothing is selling," the manager of the Orient Express café said.
This establishment has already laid off five people. "We used to serve 800 tables a day, now we are serving 320 at the most," he said. A large part of their sales comes from the train passengers.
It seems that the bus to Antequera that replaces the direct high-speed train has not been able to match the number of customers. "People no longer come to the station or many stay outside because they don't trust the timetables. This is especially noticeable in the early hours of the morning," the manager said.
"We hope it will be solved as soon as possible, although we don't believe anything and we can't trust the dates they are giving us," he added.
Manager of the Relay shop, Cintia, has fortunately not had to lay off workers, but she has decided not to hire more people to help her during Easter. "It's going to cost me money," she said. "Sales have fallen by 80 per cent. I'm surviving as best as I can."
Cintia criticises the authorities for not having shown any concern about their sales and survival since the Adamuz train crash on 18 January and the subsequent landslide in Álora.
Lidia from Joyerías Siglo XXI also complained of a 50 per cent drop in sales, given that most of her customers visit her shop while waiting for their train. "There used to be a constant flow of people and now we spend the hours waiting," she said.
