New train station on the Costa del Sol line moves a step closer to becoming a reality

Tony Bryant

BENALMDENA.

Friday, 18 November 2022 | Updated 19/11/2022 06:48h.

The much-demanded creation of a new Cercanías train station in the Nueva Torrequebrada area of Benalmádena is one step closer to becoming reality, according to the town hall. During a press conference held on Thursday, the town’s mayor, Víctor Navas, said, “We have never been so close to getting the new stop in Nueva Torrequebrada. We have made progress regarding the project: prior to our arrival at the municipal government nothing had been done, neither previous studies, nor demand nor capacity.”

Following a request made by the town hall in 2020, a study was carried out, but this survey declared that the station was not viable as a result of the proximity of the Torremuelle stop.

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However, the mayor pointed out that town hall has continued to insist that this stop is a resource highly demanded and expected by the residents of the area. Therefore, the council has asked Adif - the state-owned company charged with the management of most of Spain's railway infrastructure - for a new functional and demand study to check if conditions had changed as a result of the increase in population in Benalmádena, and as a result of the new requirements in terms of environmental sustainability linked to mobility.

Navas said that after a recent meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Adif, the municipal authority has received an “adapted draft “, a measure that will require a series of prior procedures. This includes three possible preliminary proposals with different locations within the area and various proposals for the location of the car park, “each one having its advantages and disadvantages”.

“The demand study has changed substantially with respect to the first: many fringes remain to be outlined, but the first step required by the ministry is to proceed with the urban modification of the green area located outside the station. For this we will initiate the procedures to requalify the area so that it allows the creation of the station,” the mayor explained.

The councillor for Urbanism, María Isabel Ruiz, added that Benalmádena has a “disadvantage” compared to neighbouring municipalities like Fuengirola and Torremolinos, which have up to four Cercanías stops in their municipal area, while Benalmádena has just two.

“It is a long and complex procedure, but it does not mean that the project is unfeasible. We are going to accelerate the whole process as much as possible. We ask the residents for patience because it is a modification that requires the approval of the Advisory Council of the Junta de Andalucía,” Ruiz said.