Commuters faced lengthy waits and overcrowded trains on the Malaga-Fuengirola railway on Thursday after a breakdown left the C-1 line operating with one less train.

Renfe confirmed that a technical fault disrupted multiple services from midday, while a separate breakdown caused delays on the C-2 route between Malaga and Alora.

Passengers reported waits of an hour or more and said trains were arriving too crowded to accommodate demand comfortably.

‘I’m at Plaza Mayor and trains are taking an hour or even longer to come,’ one traveller told local community page Fuengirolasequeja.

The passenger said the disruption created serious difficulties for people working in the area who needed to travel into Malaga.

Others complained of packed carriages and called for an urgent solution.

Renfe’s Cercanias information channel issued around 20 disruption notices during the day, including cancellations, delays and instructions to change trains.

One passenger also reported a burning smell and smoke near a train’s wheels at La Colina station in Torremolinos, sharing a video alongside the complaint.

Renfe instructed passengers on the 5pm departure from Fuengirola to Malaga to change trains at La Colina and follow staff instructions.

The cause of the smoke seen by the passenger remains unknown.

The operator stressed that the C-1 and C-2 problems were separate incidents.

It said passengers had been kept informed through its usual communication and customer service channels.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.