Malaga commuter rail network nightmare: widespread cancellations due to train breakdown and drivers' shifts

The announcements Renfe issued on Monday morning indicate that services have been severely disrupted on both coastal and interior lines, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at stations or rebooked onto later trains.

On the C1 line, which links Malaga city with Fuengirola, services have been suspended repeatedly in both directions. Trains due to depart from Malaga Centro Alameda at 10.30am and 10.50am were cancelled, forcing passengers to take the later services at 10.50am and 11.10am.

Similarly, on the return journey from Fuengirola, the 11.20am and 11.40am services were cancelled, with passengers redirected to the 11.40am and 12pm services.

Service disruption has also spread to Álora-bound C2 line. The train that departed from Malaga at 11.40am was running 15 minutes late as it passed through Cártama station. Similarly, the train scheduled to depart at 12.40pm from the Malaga central station was running an estimated 15 minutes late.

The situation is set to become even more complicated on Tuesday due to the strike Semaf train drivers have called, which will severely disrupt service throughout the day.

Cercanías Málaga has warned that the strike action could affect the last trains of this very Monday, so the company strongly advises passengers to seek alternative means of transport when planning their journeys.

Sur has contacted Renfe in an attempt to clarify the causes of this chaos. A spokesperson stated: "The disruptions currently affecting the Malaga commuter rail service are primarily due to two factors. On the one hand, the unavailability of a train, which remains in the workshop for repairs following a breakdown, is compounded by difficulties in covering certain services when it is necessary to alter the timetable initially assigned to train drivers, as some of them are refusing to operate services other than those specified in their rosters. In other words, some train drivers are not cooperating in providing the scheduled service."

"Renfe apologises for the inconvenience to passengers and is providing updates on the disruptions via its usual communication and customer service channels. A particularly difficult week is expected for travel, coinciding with the three days of strike action," the spokesperson said.

The strike days are 11 November (the general strike in Spain) and 10 and 12 November (the train drivers' strike).

The problem dates back several days. There were more than 150 incidents last week. It is worth remembering the vital importance of this transport system, which carried more than 17 million passengers in its record year.

"Pedro Sánchez's government must act immediately to resolve the ongoing problems on the two commuter rail lines in the province of Malaga, which are subject to daily cancellations and delays. The situation is unsustainable," chair of opposition party PP in Malaga province Patricia Navarro said.

She referred to the cancellation last week of nearly 150 trains, as well as constant disruptions: "In fact, on Friday alone there were more than 30. Added to this are Monday's disruptions, with more than a dozen cancellations and delays on the C1 line alone, affecting thousands of people in Malaga who use these trains for their daily commute."

"We need safe and reliable rail links. Malaga and its residents do not deserve to have a medium-distance service and a commuter service that are running at half-speed," Navarro stated.

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