Passengers on the Malaga-Fuengirola commuter line have suffered a third consecutive day of disruption.

Trains were running up to 20 minutes late on Saturday while a number of services were cancelled altogether.

‘Sorry for the inconvenience’ was the constant message sounding out on Renfe’s Cercanias passenger information channel.

At 5.06am, the operator said trains were running at the planned frequency, but by 10.49am, it had issued its first delay notice. Around 15 incidents had been reported by early afternoon.

Some trains were cancelled along the entire C1 route, leaving passengers in both directions to wait for the next service. Other cancellations affected only the stretch between Fuengirola and Benalmadena.

Renfe blamed an ‘operational incident’ and described it as an unforeseen event that disrupted normal service. The operator gave no further details about what had happened.

‘I’ve been stranded in Arroyo de la Miel for an hour,’ one passenger told Malaga Hoy.

He said the disruption was making people late for work, classes and medical appointments.

‘We pay for our tickets and passes expecting decent public transport,’ he said.

On the Fuengirola se Queja Instagram page, one passenger advised others to avoid the train altogether.

‘The steam train we used to have worked better,’ another joked. Others pointed out how many people rely on the line every day.

The problems began on Thursday, when a breakdown left the C1 short of a train and led to around 20 reports of delays and cancellations.

On Friday, passengers faced waits of up to 40 minutes and one service was cancelled.

The C1 serves some of the most densely populated parts of Malaga province. Passengers on the C2 between Malaga and Alora have also complained of recurring delays on a route that connects the Guadalhorce Valley with the provincial capital.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.