Breakdown on local Costa del Sol train leaves passengers stuck for two hours between stations

The train came to a standstill at a point between La Colina and Los Álamos in Torremolinos where the line is single-track, which meant that a section of the service had to be closed at a peak travel time

Lorena Cádiz

Torremolinos

Tuesday, 8 August 2023, 18:00 | Updated 18:12h.

Passengers on the C1 (Cercanías) local Costa del Sol railway line linking Malaga with Fuengirola were stuck inside carriages for two hours this Tuesday, 8 August. A fault on the train brought it to a standstill between the stations of La Colina and Los Alamos, both in the municipality of Torremolinos.

According to the information provided by rail operator Renfe, the breakdown occurred at 12.45pm, when the train was running with "high occupancy" of passengers, which is typical on this stretch of line, and more so at this time of year.

Given the impossibility of moving the train, the final solution adopted by Renfe was to send another engine to tow it to the depot, making a previous stop at La Colina station, where the passengers alighted and were transferred to another train.

Renfe has stated that during the two hours that the train was immobilised, passengers were in air-conditioned carriages. Even so, given the volume of passengers, Renfe technicians requested help from the Local Police and the Torremolinos fire brigade to guarantee safety.

«Unacceptable»

Torremolinos mayor Margarita del Cid reported the incident on social media, publishing a video in which firefighters and Local Police officers are seen helping passengers to get off the train, in the middle of the tracks, using a ladder.

"I have told Renfe on several occasions about the deficiencies in terms of maintenance that our Cercanías network suffers from... It is unacceptable that the lack of maintenance should end up being detrimental to passengers," the mayor said on social media.

Renfe has stated that there were only a few cases of passengers who had to climb down onto the tracks before the train was towed away. There is no record of any passenger needing medical assistance during the time the breakdown lasted, although over the course of two hours, more than one passenger lost their patience.

The local Costa del Sol train between Malaga and Fuengirola runs every 20 minutes in both directions. It so happens that the breakdown occurred at a point where there is a single-track, and as the broken-down train was not able to move, this meant that rail traffic had to be interrupted at that point on the line for two hours. However, traffic was maintained between Malaga and La Colina station on one side, and between Torremolinos and Fuengirola on the other.

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