Malaga further delays return to high-speed trains after landslide

Zoom

The minister of transport has announced that he cannot promise an exact reopening date for the Malaga-Madrid line

Ignacio Lillo

Málaga

Thursday, 5 February 2026, 15:05

A landslide on the high-speed rail tracks in the municipality of Álora has further delayed work to recover the Malaga-Madrid high-speed line.

After both deadlines announced by the Ministry of Transport proved impossible, minister Óscar Puente said on Tuesday that they could not promise an exact reopening date.

Technical sources have told SUR that there will be no trains between Malaga and Madrid for at least another week (12-13 February).

The succession of storms and adverse weather conditions challenges the complex work to recover the tracks, which were seriously damaged in the Adamuz train crash on 18 January.

The latest storm - Leonardo - brought heavy rains to the province on Wednesday. This led to various landslides, including one that collapsed onto the tracks at the height of Álora, and the suspension of the Malaga-Antequera line.

Numerous photos show the tracks covered in earth. According to rail infrastructure company Adif, the incident has also impacted the catenary and the extent of the damage is still unknown. Technical sources have stated that the ground is still very wet and unstable, which is why it is not possible to make any forecasts.

In addition, state rail operator Renfe informed passengers of the limited connections between Cordoba and Madrid.

Engineers warn that it is not possible to make a forecast at the moment as the ground is still very wet and unstable

At least one week

Only the CGT union has predicted a possible date for the return of traffic to normal. According to head of Andalucía's CGT Miguel Montenegro, repairing the tracks in Álora would take at least a week. However, the forecast for more heavy rains this Saturday threatens further delays.

Montenegro warned about the threats hanging over rail services, highlighting the fact that services are subcontracted to private companies, as well as the shortage of resources because teams also have to intervene at the same time in Adamuz.

"All this is the result of what we have been warning about for a long time: there is a lack of maintenance of railway infrastructure. It's true that it has rained, but with better planning and monitoring this could have been avoided," he said.

CGT is among the unions that will take part in the massive train strike on 9, 10 and 11 February. The union has also encouraged residents to join the demonstartion at the María Zambrano station in Malaga that will take place at 7pm on Monday as a symbol of opposition to "the government's anti-railway policies".

Delay in Adamuz

The recovery of the high-speed line between Malaga and Madrid is now facing two challenges, the most serious of which is still the repair of the one-kilometre stretch of track destroyed by the accident in Adamuz.

The initial deadline for repairing the tracks was 2 February, but the period proved to be too short. The next deadline announced by Minister of Transport Óscar Puente was 7 February, but this was also not possible to fulfill due to the weather conditions and the complexity of the process.

Confident that the line would be open this week, rail operators even launched ticket sales for trains that once again will not depart.

Cercanías del Guadalhorce remains suspended on Thursday

The Cercanías de la Costa (C1) service, which is the most used in Andalucía, is operating as normal, but the C2 Guadalhorce line remains suspended as of Wednesday. Likewise, the conventional gauge rail lines running across the area remain suspended due to adverse weather conditions and preventive measures.