Work starts on new metro tunnel in Malaga city centre

After several weeks preparing the area around El Corte Inglés and changing the road layout, work started on Wednesday to dig a new tunnel for the city's metro. Going north (eventually as far as the Hospital Civil), the new stretch will be built using the cut-and-cover technique, in which a trench is excavated and then roofed over.

The first phase of the work is expected to take at least two and a half years, although this could be altered in the case of archaeological excavations being required or other unexpected delays.

A second cutting machine is to be brought in to start work further up the line in September. The first phase of this extension of the current Línea 2 will run from Guadalmedina station outside El Corte Inglés and follow Calle Hilera to a station on Calle Santa Elena.