High-speed rail between Madrid and Malaga already has a return date. It will be Thursday, April 30, when trains will run directly again after weeks of interruptions that have marked one of the most tense episodes in the recent railway system.
The line outage, caused by a landslide in the Álora area in early February, has kept one of the country's key connections blocked in the middle of high season.
What happened: from the collapse to the service collapse
The origin of the problem dates back to February 4, when heavy rains caused the collapse of a slope that forced the road to be closed.
Since then, direct circulation was suspended, operators had to reorganize routes, and travelers depended on alternative connections
For weeks, only Renfe maintained partial service, with connections in Antequera and bus transfers to Málaga.
How the reopening will be: a partial solution
The return of the AVE will not be complete. Adif will reactivate only one track, while works continue on the second.
This implies a slight increase in travel times, conditioned operations, and active work until summer (and some until the end of the year). Even so, it means the end of the total blockade that has affected thousands of travelers.
Political reactions and institutional pressure
The management of the crisis opened a political and media clash.
From the Government, the Minister of Transport defended the technical complexity of the work, pointing out that the intervention required completely dismantling the slope, the work was being carried out 24 hours a day, and safety required delaying the reopening. Meanwhile, from Andalusia, the economic impact and the lack of faster solutions were criticized.
What changes now for travelers
With the reopening:
- Direct Madrid-Málaga routes return
- Transfers in Antequera are eliminated
- Travel predictability improves
In addition, operators such as Iryo and Ouigo have already reactivated ticket sales, anticipating a progressive recovery in demand.