Spain's minister of transport: 'In a year we hope to have the route of the coastal train clear'

A new train line along the entire Costa del Sol "can be done", said minister for transport Óscar Puente, adding that he hopes its route will be clear in at least a year's time. While appearing on Spanish television programme Espejo Público, presenter Susana Griso passed on a message from Malaga city mayor Francisco de la Torre: "I am concerned about the lack of investment in infrastructure in Malaga, I hope that Óscar Puente's commitment to the Costa del Sol train will come true. We have collapsed motorways with traffic jams and in such a densely populated area. And I would like to know if the soon-to-be third busiest airport in Spain will be expanded".

The minister referred to the councillor as "a good friend from the time when I was mayor (of Valladolid) and I am fond of him" before responding to his concerns: "When I say that something is going to be done, I have credit, because I also go to many places and say: 'it is not going to be done'. Just the other day, I said that the underground railway will not be built in Talavera and it is not going to be built, or in my city, because it cannot be done".

"But here, it can be done," Puente said. "If I have been cautious with the coastal train project it is because I did not have the technical input that would give me confidence. Now I have it, and therefore Francisco de la Torre can rest assured that all I need is time as minister, but if I don't have enough time, we will at least have all the projects ready."

"The coastal train is possible, there is a formula and we are going to develop it," Puente added. "We are already going to put the (feasibility) study out to tender, but when you launch a study you can already see whether it is going to be feasible or not, and I have great confidence in the director general of the railway sector, Carlos Juárez, who is a brilliant technician and already has in his head what the alternative could be."

The minister is referring to the idea, reported by SUR a few days ago, that it is possible to build a large part of the future coastal railway line parallel to the A-7 motorway. "So that everyone understands, for those who are not from the Costa del Sol, the problem of the route is that it is a tremendously complex territory due to the land, volume of buildings, among others. It is not easy to run a train through there and the key is to find the route, and what Carlos Juárez, who is an excellent technician, tells me is that he already has this possibility in mind."

The minister said: "We are going to study it in depth, we are going to put the study out to tender and I hope that in a year's time we will have cleared up the uncertainty about the possibility of the route, and from then on we will get started with the legal instruments".

On the mayor's second question about the expansion of Malaga Airport, which is close to reaching its maximum capacity, the transport minister said: "If the airlines need an expansion of Malaga Airport, Francisco de la Torre can rest assured that this expansion will be carried out".

Puente said this is not a political move, but is included in the airport regulation document (DORA), "which sets the agenda for airport expansions in our country".

The minister pointed out that Malaga has two runways, "something that Alicante, for example, does not have, which is also registering a lot of traffic". "But here I want to send a message of calm and at the same time of rigour to those who are calling for investment in airports. Spain has the best airport manager in the world, Aena, which also has a highly professional management team. Investments in airports are made in Spain depending on whether they are really needed, and they are paid for by the airlines," Puente added.