Tight timetable as work begins on feasibility study for coastal train line between Nerja and Algeciras

The feasibility study for the much-anticipated coastal train plan has officially begun. Spain's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has just signed the service contract with the consultancy firm, which will assess the technical and economic possibilities of building a railway corridor along the Costa del Sol, between Nerja and Algeciras. This step allows the awarded company to start working on the document, which will cost the ministry almost 992,000 euros.

The timetable is very tight - by the start of February 2026 (preferably by the end of January), the winning consultants, WSP Spain-Apia, in a joint venture with Multicriteri-MCRIT, must have ready an "initial study of alternatives" on how and where it will be possible to build the tracks for the coastal train from Nerja to Algeciras, along the Costa del Sol and into the Campo de Gibraltar area.

For the moment, the timetable established by the government technicians continues to be scrupulously adhered to, without any delays. Therefore, the studies that are beginning now will allow the analysis of far-reaching solutions for the railway mobility in the coastal area: both the modernisation of the current platform of the short-distance C1 suburban line (Malaga city-Fuengirola) and the construction of a new high-capacity line.

The feasibility study is divided into five sections: Malaga-Fuengirola (where there is already a standard gauge Cercanías line); Fuengirola-Marbella; Marbella-Estepona; Estepona-Algeciras and Malaga-Nerja. The transport department admits that the C1 line is in great demand, as it connects the city of Malaga with Malaga Airport - the fourth busiest in the country in terms of passenger volume - and with towns on the western Costa del Sol such as Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola.

It is a conventional railway line, electrified and equipped with double track along part of its route. Although improvements and investments have been made in the last decades, "it still presents certain limitations and does not satisfactorily cover the mobility needs of the population, so it is necessary to study options to improve the service, such as strengthening the existing infrastructure or building a new corridor".

Moreover, the ministry "is committed to bringing the benefits of rail transport to the rest of the citizens living on the Costa del Sol, as currently the line does not serve densely populated municipalities west of Fuengirola such as Estepona or Marbella, nor does it reach the eastern Costa del Sol".

To assess the real options for extending the train to either destination, the feasibility study must include a thorough demand analysis, as well as a financial and socio-economic profitability study. The socio-economic profitability figures will be used to assist the decision-making process as to whether the action (or part of it) is appropriate.

A key element is that the scope of the feasibility study must comply with Article 5.3 of the rail sector act. This will be the first step towards administrative and legal approval.