A long discussed plan to extend the rail route from Malaga all the way down to Marbella and Estepona is to be decided by April this year.
The Spanish Minister for Development, Ana Pastor arrived at Malaga Airport last week and was full of promises about the project for which a study has been taking place for the last year and a half and it is expected that the study will be presented to the public by April.
The line currently stops in Fuengirola and it has long been argued that an extension of the line would be of massive benefit to the economy and tourism. There are three possible routes for the new rail line, according to engineers, but it is not yet known if it will be over ground or under ground (which will be massively expensive), though it is quite likely to be a combination of both. The route of the proposed line is densely populated but it is known that the route may follow the main N-340, A-7 or the AP-7 roads along the Costa.
It is without doubt that the extended rail line connecting Malaga airport all the way down to Estepona will be lucrative but the route chosen will decided on “technical and budgetary” issues and these are expected to be publicly discussed at a date that fits best with this years General Election in Spain. After that the Ministry of Development will put the project out to tender and that is expected to happen before the end of this year.