Whilst we have all heard of the proposal to connect the city of Granada with Motril by rail... which seems unlikely to materialise, the Junta is eyeing creating a coastal railway.

OK, before you rush out onto the street to do steam-train impressions, it is worth noting that there is more chance of coming across rocking-horse droppings.

However and regardless, the Junta has included a train service linking Cádiz to Nerja in its POTA (Andalusian Spatial Coordination Plan). In other words, the idea exists on official documents.

Furthermore, politicians over in the Province of Málaga, regardless of their political colour, all think that it is a spiffing idea — even Vox! After all, a narrow-gauge line used to run from Málaga all the way to Vélez-Málaga.

Well,In the plenary session of the Málaga City Council they agreed to ask the Central Government to guarantee a balanced and fair distribution of infrastructure investments, especially in railway matters.

Why this petition for a “balanced and fair distribution of infrastructure?” Well, because The Central Government which desperately needs the support of Catalan parties to make it through to the end of this legislature, has budgeted 5.2 billion euros for the Barcelona metropolitan train.

So, how about throwing some of that ‘honey’ further south, they reason, sick and tired of the Catalans being spoilt by this socialist Central Government.

Yep, the Junta proposes and somebody else pays — fair enough, perhaps.

Now, if you can get a train to Nerja, why not roll on a bit further and connect with Almuñécar and Motril, giving the latter’s port a much needed rail link? Well, that’s what the Granadinos thought upon reading this interesting inclusion in the POTA.

The Junta at first smirked and said, “Yeah, right!” sort of thing but after the business sector sat up and took interest, the Junta included it in this strategic document.

The member-elect, Minister of Public Works for the Junta, Rocío Díaz, said that the Junta, “has done what it had to do, which is to listen to the residents of the Costa Tropical and their demands, such as the need for the viability of the coastal train not to be limited to the Costa del Sol, but to extend to Almuñécar and Motril.”

She then pointed out, “However, it is an infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the Government of Spain and they will be the ones who have to address its study.” This is what is known in the time-honoured sense as… passing the buck.

So, in the essence, the Junta has said that they would include the idea in their POTA but somebody else will decide if it ever materialises.

Meanwhile, in Motril, the Chairman of The Motril Chamber of Commerce, Julio Rodríguez, is mildly chuffed and stated, “We are not going to give up; we are going to fight it until the end just as we do with the train between Granada and Motril,” he pointed out.

Now, here’s an important fact that will probably end in the line terminating in Nerja. All along the coast of Málaga the geography, or better said, topography, is forgiving, which is why a narrow-gauge line existed in the first place, but once you cross over onto the Costa Tropical, you will need tunnels and viaducts aplenty. Why? Because the Costa Tropical looks like a sheet of corrugated iron with all the valleys running north to south.

Put another way, it is most likely cheaper to get a railway line running south from Granada to Motril, then to get one running from Nerja to Motril. Sorry!

Ah, before I forget, my cousin, who lives in the province of Girona and is more papist than the Pope when it comes to Catalan independence, would point out that whilst Andalucía enjoys hundreds of kilometres of free autovía use, in Cataluña you can’t fart without having to pay tolls on theirs; thus consider that the Andaluces are spoilt wicked.

(News: Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Nerja to Motril by Train, Junta, Central Government, Narrow Gauge Line, Nerja, Motril Port, POTA, Barcelona Metropolitan Train

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