The Costa del Sol faces another month without high-speed train services. Adif has confirmed to Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo that the line will not reopen before 23 March 2026.
If the timetable holds, services will resume three weeks later than initially planned. The complexity of repairs following a slope collapse in Álora, triggered by Storm Leonardo, is causing major hold-ups. This outage also overlaps with the closure that began on 18 January due to the Adamuz incident.
With all three operators having sold tickets for travel from 1 March, Iryo and Ouigo have suspended all services and are issuing automatic refunds for sold tickets.
Renfe, meanwhile, maintains its alternative plan from 18 February: a bus link between María Zambrano and Antequera-Santa Ana stations, followed by AVE services from there to Córdoba and Madrid, with journeys exceeding 4 hours 15 minutes to the capital at €22.20. Departures from Málaga are at 07:20, 09:35, 11:35, 13:35, 15:35, 17:30, and 19:50.
Economic Impact
The suspension of high-speed services in Málaga has a “multi-million-pound” impact, according to Málaga Provincial Council, estimating £109 million in tourism losses up to March—a figure the Conservatives put at over £300 million given the threat to Easter Week (29 March).
Francisco Salado slams Adif’s “lack of transparency” and demands tax breaks. Mayor Francisco de la Torre calls for a national maintenance plan and highlights the drop in hotel occupancy, even during events like the Film Festival.
Málaga’s Conservatives brand the situation a “complete joke” with irreparable reputational damage. Government sub-delegate Javier Salas counters that AVE services “continue” via Renfe, with 21 rotations on Good Friday nearly booked out, and dismisses regional government figures as “pub talk”.