Chaos in Spain as anger grows over country's 'slowest' train service in tourism hotspot

A Cercanías train in Spain (Image: Getty)

Anger is growing in Spain over the poor service provided by Cercanías trains in Malaga. A recent report by the Metropolitan Mobility Observatory described the commuter trains as being the "slowest in Spain".

The report says the trains run at an average speed of just 42.3km/h, "far below" other local networks in Spain. In Madrid they run at(50km/h, in Valencia at 57.6km/h and in Barcelona 47.9km/h. The abysmal performance of the train company has led to a political backlash in the popular holiday resort.

Malaga is a popular tourist resort (Image: Getty)

María Rosa Morales - a member of the conservative People's Party in Malaga - criticised the "continuous delays and breakdowns" that afflict the commuter trains. She accused the central government of ignoring the need for transport investment in the province.

"An abysmal difference if we compare it with rail networks with a lower number of passengers, as is the case of the Basque Country's C1, which, with an average of 7.2 million passengers per year, reaches an average speed of 50km/h," she said.

"The two suburban lines of Malaga have more than 17 million passengers annually - it is one of the most profitable lines in Spain, but we keep suffering train delays due to the inaction of the Spanish government."

Morales also took issue with the lack of regular trains during rush hours, with passengers having to wait up to 30 minutes for a service on the Malaga-Fuengirola line.

"In Madrid, Cercanías trains run every eight minutes, in Barcelona every 12 minutes and in Biscay every 17 minutes," she pointedly noted.

She slammed the government for providing "zero investment to improve this fundamental service for the tourist and economic sector".

Malaga province is a tourist hotspot in Spain, attracting 14.47 million visitors last year alone.

British tourists made up the largest single contingent of these foreign visitors - with some 1.18 million travelling to the province in 2024.

Malaga is a province in southern Spain's Andalusia region. Mediterranean beach resorts like Marbella and Torremolinos line its Costa del Sol (Sun Coast). In the seaside capital, also called Malaga, the hilltop Alcazaba is an 11th-century Moorish citadel.