Metro de Málaga
The Metro de Málaga network, with a total length of 13.2 kilometres (8.2 miles), connects Malaga’s historic centre with the city’s northwestern and southwestern suburbs.
The network has 19 stations, 12 of which are underground, and five are surface-level light rail stops.
Two lines
The Malaga Metro consists of two lines almost entirely on the western side of the Guadalmedina river.
Line 1 covers 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) with 13 stations, running from Atarazanas (on the Alameda Principal, close to the market of the same name) to Andalucía Tech on the furthest edge of the Universidad de Málaga campus extension.
The entirely underground Line 2, meanwhile, spans 5.7 kilometres (3.5 miles) with eight stations, connecting Guadalmedina (next to El Corte Inglés) to the Palacio de los Deportes multipurpose arena, via the María Zambrano main train station.
El Perchel: the main interchange
El Perchel station, located next to María Zambrano, is considered the “intercambiador metropolitano”. This is because this is where all of Malaga’s main travel methods intersect.
Firstly, this is one of two stops where the two metro lines meet (the other is Guadalmedina). However, you can also catch medium or long-distance high-speed trains here from the main station, or a Cercanías train which connects the city centre to Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport and various major towns in the province, such as Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola.
Likewise, Malaga’s main bus station is just a few metres away.
A regular service
The Metro de Málaga operates a regular service throughout the week, with trains running between every seven and 12 minutes.
From Monday to Thursday, it is operational from 6.30am to 11pm, ensuring convenient commuting options for those living in the outskirts to get into the city centre.
On Fridays and the day before public holidays, the service extends its hours, running from 6.30am to 1.30 am, accommodating late-night travellers.
Saturdays have a slightly altered schedule, starting from 7am but also continuing until 1.30am.
Sundays and holidays follow a similar pattern, with services available from 7am to 11pm.
All trains are equipped with CCTV and air-conditioning and can accommodate 56 seated passengers with 170 standing.
Daryl is the co-founder of Malaga Guru. He is a copywriter, editor and translator who moved to Malaga a decade ago having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found this site in 2016.