It has been twenty years since the Vélez-Málaga tram was launched, attracting over 5,000 passengers on its first day. No trains have run since June 2012.
It has been twenty years since the Vélez-Málaga tram opened to the public on October 11, 2006, with free rides and over 5,000 people attending its launch. According to Diario Sur, the service has not operated since June 3, 2012.
The first phase connected Jurado Lorca Park in Vélez-Málaga with the church of San Andrés in Torre del Mar, covering 4.6 kilometres with nine stops. The material was manufactured by CAF: three units, although initially only two operated, with expected frequencies of 20 minutes during peak hours. The investment for the first phase exceeded 18 million euros and the total cost ended up around 40 million.
The first full year recorded 922,135 users. The figure dropped to 782,126 in 2008 and about 676,000 in 2011, far from the nearly 1.14 million that were considered necessary for the expected balance.
Antonio Souvirón, socialist mayor from 1996 to 2007 and promoter of the project, argues that the tram was part of a broader urban model, including the motorway, Rey Juan Carlos I Avenue, María Zambrano Park, and the Food Technology Park.
“You cannot talk about an isolated tram without discussing the city model”
After returning to the mayoralty in June 2011, Francisco Delgado decided to suspend the service. The municipal government of the PP, with an absolute majority, justified it by the accumulated deficit. Delgado estimated that deficit at 2.5 million euros, with losses of 1.2 million just in 2011.
Delgado continues to criticise the project's origins, stating that the tram was launched without viability reports.
“It was madness”
Souvirón now considers it “disproportionate” to have abandoned an infrastructure costing around 40 million due to an annual imbalance estimated at around one million euros. He warns that reactivating it would be equivalent to building a new one, as unmaintained infrastructures deteriorate. Today, the rails still run through Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar, with the track vandalised and partly used as parking.
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