On Saturday evening, a high-speed train from Málaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz, a town of 4,200 people in Córdoba province. It crossed onto the opposite track and hit an oncoming train. 43 people died. 292 were injured.

Spain declared three days of national mourning. The track is closed. All high-speed rail between Madrid and Andalucía is suspended until at least February 2.

If you live on the Costa del Sol, you've probably taken that train. The 2-hour-30-minute AVE from Málaga María Zambrano to Madrid Puerta de Atocha is one of the selling points of living here. "Close enough to the capital when you need to be" sits in every relocation article, every property listing, every "why Málaga" pitch.

One broken rail joint in a town you'd never heard of just took that away for two weeks. Maybe longer.

There is one high-speed rail corridor between this region and the rest of Spain. It runs through Córdoba. There is no alternative high-speed route. When that corridor closes, your options are a 5-hour bus-and-train combination, a 5-hour drive up the A-4, or a flight (if you can find one at a reasonable price).

Renfe's alternative plan operates three departures daily in each direction. From Madrid Puerta de Atocha: 9:00, 12:00, and 17:00 toward Málaga María Zambrano. Fixed price: €40 in tourist class. The journey takes roughly five hours, with a bus bridge between Villanueva de Córdoba and Córdoba city. There's also a conventional rail option from Madrid Chamartín (not Atocha), taking six to seven hours, no transfers. (Confirmed January 20, 2026)

Three departures a day. For everyone between here and the capital.

If you chose Costa del Sol partly because Madrid was "a quick train away" for quarterly board meetings, client visits, or visa appointments at the embassy, this week tested that assumption.

The practical question isn't whether the AVE will come back. It will. The question is whether your professional life has a single point of failure already built in.

The Málaga-Madrid flight route exists, but it's a fraction of the capacity of the rail corridor. Prices spiked the day after the crash. Iberia and Ryanair both operate it, but availability was thin within 48 hours of the suspension announcement.

The train drivers' union has called a nationwide strike over safety conditions. Even after February 2, further disruption is possible. Worth having a Plan B that doesn't depend on the Spanish rail running smoothly.

The Costa del Sol coastal railway, the proposed line connecting Fuengirola to Marbella and Estepona, is currently in a feasibility study. Initial route alternatives were due this month, with full results expected in November 2026. That project is about local mobility, not access to Madrid. It doesn't change the one-corridor problem.

The airport expansion (Málaga-Costa del Sol, from 80,000 to 140,000 square metres) has been approved, but construction won't start until 2029. That's three years of the current setup.

For now, the connectivity story of this region is what it was before last Saturday: one rail line, one airport, one motorway corridor. The difference is that before Saturday, nobody was stress-testing the assumption.

If you're rebooking at María Zambrano station or calling Renfe on 912 320 320:

"Quiero cambiar mi billete por el plan alternativo" — I want to change my ticket for the alternative plan

"¿Hay plazas disponibles para mañana?" — Are there seats available for tomorrow?

One corridor, one point of failure, and a 5-hour fallback when it breaks. The AVE will come back, but the structural reality of Costa del Sol connectivity was visible this week in a way it hasn't been before. Worth factoring in, even after the trains start running again.

Enjoy the weekend — A. and the WaypointSur team sitting in the back of the bus