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A coastal train service from Nerja in Malaga province to Algeciras (Cadiz) could carry some 60 million passengers a year, according to estimates from a study which analysed the rail service's potential demand along the coast.
The preliminary figures which emerged from a study carried out by the general secretariat for sustainable transport led to a meeting with the board and municipal representatives last month. The analysis was carried out with the ministry's 'big data' and technological resources, on the basis of a train service transporting passengers end-to-end from Nerja to Algeciras.
The figures are stated in a report which details the feasibility of a railway extension from Nerja to Algeciras. The report is signed by José Alfonso Gálvez Salinas, general director of transport strategies of the general secretariat of sustainable transport, to which SUR has had access.
To put the data in context, the current Cercanías experienced its all-time record last year, with 16 million users. While the high-speed trains between María Zambrano in Malaga city and Atocha station in Madrid moves some four million passengers a year.
The study was divided into four zones and the one with the greatest demand would be the western Costa del Sol, between Malaga city and Estepona, according to the study. Here, there are almost 46 million passengers per year. This is almost three times more than the current Cercanías C1 commuter service.
It's the same maximum figure as that provided by the study carried out by Malaga consultancy ARCS on behalf of Malaga city town hall, although in their case they analysed trains going only as far as Marbella.
Of these, 25.5 million correspond to a new service in the current coastal corridor, where the railway already exists but is very limited (Malaga-Fuengirola), which gives an idea of the number of users that could be reached with an optimal service.
In the case of the route from Fuengirola to Marbella and Estepona, the capacity would be somewhat lower than the previous one, with 20.3 million per year.
The figures are not so convincing in the case of the Malaga to Nerja route where the estimated number of passengers is close to ten million per year. Between Estepona and Algeciras, demand is much lower, at 4.9 million journeys per year, according to the study's findings.
The preliminary study already provides an "assessment of the pre-feasibility of the section", in which the first conclusions are clear: in the first place, the new route between Malaga and Fuengirola is considered "recommended". The section from Fuengirola to Marbella and Estepona is also "potentially recommended".
In order for the other two routes to be feasible, the study pointed out that "important measures" are required and will depend on collaboration with the Junta and local councils. For these, the same document pointed out: the improvement of frequencies on lines with high occupancy and the creation of express services to areas of business or industrial activity (by means of buses).
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