Direct high-speed train services between Madrid and Málaga resumed on April 30 after more than three months of disruption, with all three operators — Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo — returning to the route from midday.
Services restarted under adjusted timetables as infrastructure manager Adif opened only one of the two tracks on the affected section near Álora, with repair work on the second track still ongoing.
The disruption began in January 2026 when a collision near Adamuz forced the suspension of all rail links between Madrid and Andalusia. A separate incident in February compounded the problems when heavy rainfall triggered a landslide that collapsed a retaining wall near Álora, cutting the Málaga-Antequera section entirely and leading Iryo and Ouigo to suspend all services on the route.
Renfe continued operating throughout the period using a rail replacement bus on the Antequera-Málaga section, carrying more than 300,000 passengers under its alternative transport plan before direct rail services resumed.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed that one track would open while work continues on the second. “We will open one of the two tracks until the rest of the work is completed,” he said, adding that “the service will operate almost normally. It won’t be noticeable.” He declined to give a date for full double-track restoration, describing the engineering work as “extremely complex.”
Renfe’s first direct AVE service departed Madrid at 12:50 on April 30, with the first southbound Avlo low-cost service leaving Málaga at 16:30. The operator warned that some journeys will take longer than usual while trains run at reduced speed through the works zone, and that Friday services will run one train fewer in each direction compared to the pre-disruption timetable of eight daily services.
Iryo returned with 10 daily services, five in each direction, including two Barcelona-Málaga cross-route services. On April 30, its first departure from Madrid was at 15:05 and from Málaga at 18:52. Full normal timetables resumed from May 1.
Ouigo also resumed two to three daily services on April 30 depending on direction. Its first Madrid-Málaga departure left at 09:55, arriving in Málaga at 12:42, after the line’s midday reopening. The first Ouigo service from Málaga departed at 13:46.
Adif has confirmed that reconstruction work on the section near Álora will continue through the summer, with full double-track operations not expected to be restored until the end of 2026.
The reopening came one day before the May bank holiday weekend, one of Spain’s busiest domestic travel periods, and follows weeks of political pressure from Andalusian authorities over economic losses sustained by Málaga’s tourism industry during the closure.
