Work on the long-awaited Costa railway – which will extend the existing Málaga-Fuengirola Cercanías line to Estepona and upgrade it to allow the use of high-speed trains – is to begin with a four-kilometre stretch of tunnel from Las Lagunas to La Cala de Mijas.

The Junta de Andalucia has put out to tender the 221 million-euro project for the double tunnel (one tube in each direction), with bids due by April 22. Once the contract is awarded, the completion timeline is estimated at 42 months.

Under an agreement between the Junta and the Development Ministry, the regional government is responsible for the entire stretch of new track from Fuengirola to Estepona, while the Development Ministry is responsible for upgrades to the existing Cercanías line so it can handle trains with speeds over 200 kph. Over the last few years Development has doubled the track along much of the 30-kilometre Cercanías line, but the track must still be upgraded for high-speed trains.

The new Fuengirola-Estepona tracks, covering a total of 56.6 kilometres with 14 stops, will run mostly underground due to the dense development of much of the area it passes through, says the Junta.

The goal is to create a high-speed coastal railway that will “permit travel times that are very competitive with private car use,” say Junta officials. They estimate trip times of just 11.5 minutes from Estepona to Marbella and 10 minutes from Marbella to Fuengirola. When complete, the entire Málaga-Estepona line is expected to carry some 40 million passengers a year

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