Málaga Metro: 34 routes and an ongoing controversy

The Junta defends that the Málaga metro expansion is progressing after evaluating 34 alternatives and selecting 12 routing proposals. The Andalusian Government places joint work with the City Council at the center of the process, while the PSOE demands fewer studies and more construction to connect Málaga TechPark, Campanillas, and the east of the city. The political dispute remains open, but there are already specific corridors on the table.

What has changed in the Málaga metro studies

For the people of Málaga, the relevant fact is not only that there is an institutional commission, but that the study has already moved from a broad list of possibilities to a reduced group of proposals. This step does not yet mean starting an expansion, but it does pinpoint the exact stage the project is at.

How many routes are still under evaluation?

Of the 34 routing alternatives analyzed, the Junta has selected 12 proposals to continue their evaluation. The declared goal of the Minister of Development and Mobility, Mario Muñoz-Atanet, is to have a priority route ready to be submitted for public consultation soon.

The selection concentrates the technical work. Simply put: not every one of the initial 34 options is studied in the same detail anymore; rather, progress is made with those considered suitable for further comparison. Public consultation will be the next stage the Junta links to choosing a priority alternative.

The three corridors on the table

The informative study analyzes three strategic corridors for the Málaga metro expansion:

• The connection with the Andalusia Technology Park and Campanillas.
• The extension toward Ciudad Jardín.
• The extension toward El Palo and Rincón de la Victoria.

The list explains why the debate affects very different areas of the city and its surroundings. On one side is the Málaga TechPark and Campanillas axis, one of the repeated demands by the PSOE; on the other, the options aimed toward Ciudad Jardín, El Palo, and Rincón de la Victoria. It is not a single expansion, but three strategic directions under study.

Cooperation with the City Council, the Junta’s argument

Institutional coordination matters because the metro involves decisions affecting the city of Málaga and its metropolitan connections. The Junta uses this collaboration as proof that the process is not being conducted behind the City Council's back, while the opposition measures the outcome by deadlines and by the actual start of works.

What commission was established with Málaga?

The Junta and the Málaga City Council established the Transport and Mobility Infrastructure Commission on September 7. Muñoz-Atanet defended that this body reflects a working method based on listening to municipalities and coordinating infrastructure decisions.

During the Development and Mobility Commission of the Andalusian Parliament, the minister stated that the method of conducting studies is as relevant as their content. His argument is both political and practical: before fixing an alternative, the Junta and the City Council must work on the city's needs and jointly evaluate the options.

The contrast between cooperation and demand for results

Socialist deputy Josele Aguilar accused Juanma Moreno's Government of not fulfilling the electoral promises made in 2018 to extend the metro to Málaga TechPark and revive the project toward the eastern area of Málaga. He also reproached that after several years the studies still had not been completed.

Aguilar demanded that the expansion reach Málaga TechPark and that the future line serve the east of the city. His position stems from a clear demand: speed up the construction. The Junta, however, insists that infrastructure of this nature must progress through study, planning, and route selection before moving to the next phase.

There lies the clash that the Málaga reader immediately understands. For the Andalusian Government, cooperation and technical documents are part of progress; for the PSOE, the elapsed time turns these steps into a delay that is no longer justifiable. The same dossier may seem like planning to some and waiting to others.

The works the Junta presents as proof of progress

The Andalusian Government does not limit its defense to studies of future expansions. It also contrasts those projects with the extension works toward the future Virgen de la Esperanza Hospital, which, according to Muñoz-Atanet, are advancing with three sections under simultaneous execution. This difference between what is under construction and what remains in the study phase marks the debate.

Which segment of the metro is under construction?

The Málaga metro extension toward the future Virgen de la Esperanza Hospital has three segments under simultaneous construction, the minister explained. The Junta presents this action as fulfilling a commitment to the people of Málaga and as proof that the project has moved from documents to works.

Muñoz-Atanet stated that when Juanma Moreno’s government began its legislative term, there were no active constructions of new metro lines in Andalusia and that the Málaga metro was stalled, with trenches open. He also said there was only one project to take it to the Civil Hospital on the surface.

Against this situation, the minister attributed to his government the drafting of new projects and the search for financing. His message was that now there are not only studies and projects but also works and investments underway. The PSOE, for its part, defined the actions as an inherited legacy and stated they had been tendered and designed by the previous government before the PP arrived.

The precedent of the accesses to the Technology Park

The discussion about Málaga TechPark also connects with actions taken at the accesses via the A-357. Muñoz-Atanet assured that the Junta resolved the problem of these accesses in three months through a first phase, the first Bus-HOV lane, and a second phase, as well as committing to a third.

The minister attributed the resolution of the A-357 traffic jams to the cooperation between the Junta and the City Council and accused the central government and the PSOE of not paying attention to Málaga's highway congestion. This reference serves the Junta to reinforce its narrative: institutional cooperation is not limited to a working table but has also produced mobility actions.

However, the PSOE maintains that Málaga needs electoral promises to be fulfilled and not more waiting. Aguilar summarized his position demanding that after eight years, the city receives concrete results. The Junta responds that the metro is already under construction in three segments and that future expansions are progressing with 12 selected proposals.

The next decisive point will be to know which route becomes priority and when it can be submitted for public consultation. Until then, Málaga will have two opposing narratives: that of a Junta that claims cooperation, planning, and active works, and that of an opposition demanding that Málaga TechPark and the east of the city stop being pending promises.