Renfe high-capacity trains to join Málaga C-1 in 2028

Renfe high-capacity trains will expand the fleet on Málaga’s C-1 Cercanías line from 2028. Seven S452 trains built by Alstom will operate between Málaga and Fuengirola, representing an investment of €66.7 million.

Each train will have six cars and be about 100 metres long. Combining single- and double-deck cars, the units will provide 245 seats and total capacity for up to 900 passengers when standing passengers are included.

Renfe high-capacity trains will add more C-1 capacity

The additional fleet is intended to increase the number of places available on one of Málaga province’s rail corridors with the greatest passenger pressure. The C-1 Málaga–Fuengirola currently runs at intervals of around 20 minutes during peak periods, while infrastructure constraints leave limited scope for adding more services.

Almost half of the 32-kilometre route remains single track. Double track is available between Málaga María Zambrano and the Airport, Campamento-Los Álamos-La Colina, El Pinillo-Benalmádena and Torremuelle-Carvajal, but these sections do not form a continuous double-track corridor.

That configuration makes it difficult to maintain regular and reliable services at intervals below 15 minutes. Renfe is therefore seeking to carry more passengers on each train rather than relying only on additional frequencies.

Passenger figures show the level of demand. The Málaga Cercanías network carried 15,542,731 passengers in 2025, with a large share travelling on the C-1 between Málaga and Fuengirola. At certain times, according to Renfe data, passenger numbers on the route reach the equivalent of 150% of available seated capacity.

The network recorded more than 16 million passengers in 2024, its highest figure. Málaga Cercanías currently consists of two lines and 23 stations, with 132 services from Monday to Friday and 114 on Saturdays and Sundays.

According to Renfe, assigning the new S452 high-capacity trains primarily to the C-1 will provide more places on services where demand is particularly strong while working within the physical limits of the existing infrastructure.

Before the 100-metre S452 units can enter operation, platforms at five stations will need to be lengthened because they are currently around 80 metres long.

Don’t miss…Ontario Line trains face uncertainty over tariff costs

Track constraints and planned infrastructure work

Further infrastructure work is also planned. Adif envisages doubling the track between Campamento and the Airport. Under the current planning, the work would require rail traffic between Málaga and Torremolinos to be suspended for six months, with the interruption planned between the final quarter of 2027 and the middle of 2028 if the timetable does not change.

The seven S452 units form part of Renfe’s wider renewal and reorganisation of its Public Service Obligation fleet. The programme follows more than 20 years without purchases of new rolling stock for these services and is intended to align available trains with the requirements of individual networks.

Málaga Cercanías currently operates eight Civia 464-series units with an average age of 18.9 years and an estimated service life of 40 years. Since entering operation, the eight units have undergone an average of two comprehensive R and R2 overhauls and three IM4 interventions, in addition to first-level maintenance.

Renfe puts total spending on overhauls and maintenance work for the eight existing trains at €13,130,608.

New Málaga Cercanías maintenance workshop

The fleet expansion will be accompanied by additional maintenance capacity in Málaga. Renfe plans to build a new Málaga Cercanías maintenance workshop with an investment of €40 million, with work scheduled to begin in 2027.

The facility will support maintenance of the new rolling stock and increase the technical capacity available in Málaga for servicing Cercanías trains.

Accessibility improvements at C-1 stations

Renfe is also planning accessibility improvements at El Pinillo, Los Álamos and La Colina stations. The combined investment allocated to these works is €6.81 million.

The programme covers station access, platforms, paving, platform edges, level adjustments, canopies, lifts, lighting, fencing, passenger equipment and underpasses. Its stated objectives are to improve accessibility and station functionality, support passenger movement and meet accessibility requirements.

El Pinillo

At El Pinillo, the planned work includes remodelling the station entrances, reorganising and adapting the car park, renewing paving and platform edges, bringing levels into alignment and extending one platform to 100 metres. Existing lifts are to be replaced with new panoramic units, while the underpass will undergo a comprehensive adaptation.

Los Álamos

At Los Álamos, the works include remodelling access points and improving existing installations. Plans also cover replacing perimeter railings, renewing paving and canopies, installing new panoramic lifts, reorganising platform equipment and updating finishes in both the underpass and the urban passage.

La Colina

At La Colina, Renfe plans to remodel access points and reorganise and adapt the car park. The project also covers improvements to installations, new perimeter fencing, replacement of paving and platform edges, level adjustments, renewed canopies, new lifts and a comprehensive adaptation of the underpass.

The measures follow several years of calls from the municipalities of Málaga, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola for additional capacity on the Costa del Sol Cercanías corridor. More than a year earlier, Transport Minister Óscar Puente had said his ministry was working on measures to reinforce the service.

What will change for passengers

The new trains address capacity on individual services, while a separate Adif project targets the infrastructure constraint on the C-1. The planned second track between Aeropuerto and Campamento Benítez covers 2.8 km and is intended to create a continuous 12.7-kilometre double-track section between María Zambrano and La Colina. The project also includes a second platform and a grade-separated connection between platforms at Plaza Mayor.

Together, the planned trains, maintenance workshop and station works are intended to increase passenger capacity and prepare the Málaga Cercanías system for the introduction and maintenance of the new fleet while improving accessibility at several C-1 stations.