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The 19-mile new train route has been given the green light.
The 19-mile new train route has been given the green light (Image: Govern de les Illes Balears/SFM)
A 19-mile, partly underground new train line in Majorca has been given final approval by the Balearic Islands authorities and will connect the island's capital with its airport and another major tourist town. The new Servicios Ferroviarios de Mallorca (SFM) line will have over six of its 19-mile length pass underground and will have 13 stations, connecting Palma, Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) and Llucmajor on the south coast.
The new railway line, which is expected to be operational in 2032, will connect the Balearic capital with Llucmajor in 30 minutes, with Son Llàtzer Hospital in six minutes and with the airport in 12 minutes, terminating at a station to be integrated into Son Sant Joan. “We want public transport to be an alternative to private transport,” Minister for Housing, Territory and Mobility, José Luis Mateo, said at a press conference outlining the plans on Wednesday (April 15). He said the new train line represents a "decisive step" in that project.
The train line will have 13 stations (Image: Govern de les Illes Balears/SFM)
The Director-General for Mobility, Lorena del Valle, explained that the new train line will have 13 stations – 10 of them in Palma and another three in Llucmajor – connecting residential and industrial areas as well as the airport. The stations in Palma will be Conservatori, Son Costa, Miquel Dolç, Son Güells, Hospital Son Llàtzer, Coll d’en Rabassa, Aeroport, Son Oms, La Porcincúla and Bellavista-Ses Cadenes, whilst those in Llucmajor will be s’Arenal, Son Noguera and the station in the town centre itself.
A total of 20 trains will be purchased for the line and it is expected to carry 8.5 million passengers each year - a 73% increase in passenger numbers on the Majorcan rail network compared to the 11.6 million recorded in 2025.
This is not the only rail infrastructure project underway in Majorca. Mr Mateo also confirmed that at the current pace, the regional government maintains its forecast that work on the line between Palma and Llucmajor will begin in 2028. He also highlighted airport authority Aena’s willingness to finalise the location of the Palma Airport station, whilst Ms del Valle added that the underground route will be feasible thanks to its construction using a tunnel boring machine.
The historic 17-mile tourist train runs between Palma and Sóller (Image: Getty)
In October 2024, the Balearic president, Marga Prohens, presented the railway project with a budget of €690million (£600million), covering construction, the purchase of new trains and the building of workshops. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 and last approximately four years.
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Majorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, has a combined rail network of approximately 55 miles (88km), including both train and metro track, operated by Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca (SFM) and the private Sóller Railway. The system includes electric commuter lines from Palma to Inca, Sa Pobla, and Manacor, plus the historic 17-mile tourist train between Palma and Sóller.
Home to just under one million people, Majorca welcomes over 13 million tourists annually (13.4 million in 2024), with the majority visiting from Germany and the UK.
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