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Date Published: 21/02/2022

The 4 popular Spanish holiday destinations you cannot reach by train

Incredibly, the coastal tourist spots Torrevieja, Marbella and Almeria's Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido do not have rail connections

Despite having more than 80,000 inhabitants with a five-fold increase during the summer, four popular Spanish holiday destinations on the Costa Blanca and in Andalucía cannot be reached by train.

Torrevieja, Marbella and Almeria's Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido do not have any railway connections at all – neither AVE, commuter trains, metro or tram – prompting calls from the local authorities for a solution.

Torrevieja

Torrevieja in the south of the Valencia region, which has a registered population of 82,842, did have a passenger train service until 1970 when, due to low profitability, the line connecting the town with Murcia and Alicante was cancelled. The freight line that collected salt from the mines also ceased to operate in 1986 and the tracks were soon dismantled.

The route ran parallel to the natural park of Las Lagunas de la Mata, but can't be reinstated as it would be unlikely to be granted the necessary environmental permits. And in order to create a new connection, a new train station would need to be built as the old one is located next to Torrevieja lagoon, throwing up more environmental issues.

According to Torrevieja Mayor, Eduardo Dolón, a study has already been carried out - with the participation of Orihuela Town Council and the University of Alicante (UA) - which includes three alternatives for a new route; a project that would cost around 270 million euros.

"Torrevieja has a high constructive complexity in terms of train links because the Vega Baja is one of the most flood-prone areas, to which is added the high seismic risk and the scattered population," he added.

But according to the study, a train service would be hugely beneficial and could be used by up to 1.2 million passengers a year.

Also of interest: Renfe plans high-speed low-cost link between Alicante and Madrid

Marbella

Meanwhile on the Costa del Sol, travellers from Madrid for example, currently have to take a high-speed train that covers 500km in two hours to get to Malaga, and then spend an hour and 20 minutes on a bus to make their way to Marbella, 56km away.

A suburban train runs along part of the Costa del Sol, but does not reach Marbella, which has a regular population of 147,958 that reaches around half a million in the summer.

According to the Andalusian Regional Government, "the Costa del Sol railway connection is a strategic project" which has been talked about for decades and was included in a list of proposals for European funding in 2019.

"It is not acceptable that a project that vertebrates the province of Malaga and makes the towns on the Costa del Sol more competitive has no place in the Government's plans," said the Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, who has accused the Spanish Government of "lacking sensitivity" and impeding the economic and social growth of Marbella.

Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido

Almería city in Andalucia has an airport and trains with two destinations, one to Granada, which then extends to Seville, and another to Linares-Baeza, which can be continued to Madrid.

But this isn't the case in the popular resorts of Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido (84,005), two nearby towns with a combined population of 180,000, where the lack of any kind of railway connection means tourists travelling from the airport have to go right around Almería city to reach them.

"When visitors come here they say: 'man, you are at the bottom of the world' as there is practically no way to get almost anywhere," explained the Mayor of Roquetas de Mar, Gabriel Amat.

"An AVE link to Almería capital is necessary and we will continue working towards connecting the whole Poniente with a tram, linking Almería with Aguadulce, Roquetas or El Ejido."

El Ejido Town Hall added that rail links are vital for "competing without a disadvantage".

In December, the Ministry of Transport assured that the Murcia-Almeria AVE line of the Mediterranean Corridor would be operational in 2026 "at the latest", and hopes are high this will rectify the current lack of "necessary" transport links in the region.

Image: Archive

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