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Álvaro Fernández Heredia (centre) during the last coastal train meeting. Marilú Báez
New Renfe boss is staunch supporter of plan for train service along whole of Costa del Sol
Transport

New Renfe boss is staunch supporter of plan for train service along whole of Costa del Sol

Álvaro Fernández Heredia has until now been secretary general for sustainable transport, a position from which he defended the viability of the project in the face of the initial reluctance from Spain's minister of transport

Ignacio Lillo

Málaga

Wednesday, 15 January 2025

There has been a change in the top management of Renfe, Spain's state train company, after months of continuous problems in both the high-speed and suburban services, to which Malaga has been no stranger.

The new president, following the appointment by government, is a director of the Ministry of Transport who has played an important role in the negotiations on the Costa del Sol coastal train, in the roundtable meetings that have taken place with the Junta de Andalucía, the Diputación de Malaga and the town halls in Malaga province and Campo de Gibraltar.

In fact, from his position as secretary general for sustainable transport, Álvaro Fernández Heredia has been a supporter of the viability of the coastal rail corridor project, in contrast to the initial reluctance shown by the transport minister, Óscar Puente, who has now become a staunch defender of plans.

Fernández Heredia, who replaces Raül Blanco as the head of Renfe, who has left the post "for personal reasons", is a civil engineer and holds a PhD in Transport Infrastructures from the polytechnic university of Madrid (UPM), according to the information provided by the ministry. He also has more than 20 years of professional experience in the sector, both in consultancy and research and in university teaching and public management positions in various institutions.

From now on, Sara Hernández del Olmo will be in charge of the general secretariat for sustainable transport, taking over the management of the long-awaited Costa del Sol railway project. Hernández del Olmo holds a degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Transport from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, with more than 15 years of experience in strategic territorial planning and business consultancy in the transport, logistics and mobility sector.

The outgoing president, Raül Blanco, spent less than two years in the job, where he had to deal with successive breakdowns and serious delays, both in high-speed services and in Cercanías commuter routes and medium distance trains, which have affected numerous provinces including Malaga.

However, the worst has come from the technical problems in the implementation of the new fleet of AVE Talgo Avril trains, which currently operate mainly in the north of Spain. The new Renfe boss will also have to face the challenge of growing competition from private operators, Iryo and Ouigo, as well as Renfe's internationalisation process, with new rail connections to France.

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