The port authority has reached an agreement with the administrator of railway infrastructures (Adif) due to a lack of space on the docks
Operators testing goods trains at the Los Prados logistics terminal. (J. M. GUERRERO. ARCHIVO)Málaga
30/04/2026 a las 12:16h.Although it may sound paradoxical for a seaport to expand far from the coast, in reality it is not so unusual when the modern operation ... of this type of infrastructure is understood. The port authority has reached an agreement with the administrator of railway infrastructures (Adif), under the ministry of transport, for the rental of part of the logistics platform of Los Prados, in the railway area next to the district of the same name in the city.
This move comes in view of the lack of space on the docks, which are completely surrounded by the city. Added to this is the need to clear part of the area of the marquees on the San Andrés quay for the future opera house; and the growing interest in intermodal rail-port transport.
The port's board of directors authorised on Wednesday the proposal for the occupation of part of the installations in the goods transport terminal, as "a first step in its logistics expansion strategy in the face of the growing operational demand derived from the geopolitical instability in the Middle East", according to the institution.
In a first phase, the port will obtain 23,622 square metres in Los Prados to store containers
The plot has an asphalted surface area of 23,622 square metres, with road access and perimeter enclosure. It also has a parking area for cars and electricity, water and lighting supplies. This action will provide new storage areas, which will be used mainly for storing empty containers, as well as for repairing and cleaning them outside the port area. Its president, Carlos Rubio, said that this will allow the container and vehicle terminal to have a larger surface area to develop the highest priority activities.
"This step is necessary because the evolution of traffic is going to force us to extend this area in the medium term, and we are already in talks with Adif to be able to extend it," he explained. So, if things go as the institution foresees, there will come a time when they will have to take over the entire area available (some 80,000 square metres). In fact, the war in the Gulf has already led to a new record in container traffic, where imports and exports have soared in the first quarter of the year, with growth of up to 300 per cent. information already reported by SUR last week
La Farola opens up to the city
Another of the key issues highlighted during Wednesday's meeting was the approval of the tender for the contracting of the project to restore and refurbish the lighthouse, following the authorisation received from the ministry of culture. The work will be carried out on the former lighthouse keeper's house (corresponding to the base of the building) and the exterior area of the shaft, at a cost of 931,541.82 euros (VAT not included) and a completion period of eight months.
The aim is to convert this emblematic building in the city into an exhibition space open to the public and integrated into the urban environment of the La Malagueta neighbourhood. "The idea is for the work to have a relatively short duration, about eight months: we start in the middle of this year and finish at the beginning of 2027," Rubio said.
Finally, the board approved two other projects: on the one hand, the tender for a private company to build and operate under concession a warehouse for the reception, storage and delivery of refrigerated products, which will be located on a plot next to the entrance of the San Andrés (Huelin) dock, with a term of ten to 25 years. And on the other, the contracting of the services and works for the adaptation of the port authority's data processing centre, which forms part of the public body's plans to promote the digitalisation of all its processes (228,069 euros plus VAT).