Malaga’s Cercanias train line was suspended for more than an hour on Saturday after passengers forced open the doors of a broken-down service and stepped onto the tracks.
Operator Renfe confirmed that the entire network had to be halted as a safety precaution once people were detected outside the train, triggering an automatic shutdown according to protocol.
The incident began at around 11.55am when a train on the C-1 line, which connects Fuengirola with Malaga city, broke down near Maria Zambrano station.
Passengers said they were left waiting for up to 50 minutes before being told via loudspeaker that there had been a ‘technical fault’.
They were informed that another train was being sent to tow them into the station, but frustration quickly grew, with many children and elderly people on board.
Some passengers eventually opened the doors themselves and got off, prompting the suspension of all services in both directions.
Rail traffic remained halted until around 1.05pm, once staff confirmed that no passengers were on or near the tracks.
The stranded train was eventually towed into María Zambrano station, arriving shortly after 1.20pm.
The disruption continued to ripple through the network, with delays of between 15 and 20 minutes affecting the C-1 line for several hours.
By mid-afternoon, Renfe said services had returned to normal.
Footage shared online shows the commuter train at a standstill on the tracks.
In one clip, the doors are opened as passengers stick their heads out to see if any help is on the way.
One said in the caption of a video: ‘We’re stuck on the train heading from Fuengirola to Malaga city centre… we’re waiting for another train to take us.
‘The driver told us 10 minutes ago that they would pick us up and tow this train in five minutes, but we’re still waiting. We’ve been here for an hour.’
Another fumed: ‘The train towards Malaga has been stopped for over 40 minutes. It’s full of children and elderly people, and they didn’t say anything until half an hour had passed.
‘It seems the train has broken down, and another train is coming as a rescue.’
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
