Mothballed high-speed train test track plan would make Malaga the most important centre of its type in Europe

One of the most surprising announcements Spain's Minister of Transport Óscar Puente made during SUR forum last week was that his department plans to reopen the project for the Antequera railway testing ring for high-speed trains in the north of Malaga province, which was put on hold in 2016. There were several challenges that ultimately led to its temporary suspension, among them economic difficulties, lack of interested companies and fierce opposition from farmers whose properties were going to be affected by the route.

The rekindling of the project has been prompted by the president of rail infrastructure company Adif - Pedro Marco de la Peña - who has raised it with the minister of transport due to the growing demand of railway high-speed train services, offered not only by the state railway operator (Renfe), but also by private companies Iryo and Ouigo.

The railway companies that operate in Spain are forecasting the need for around 500 more high-speed trains. All of them will have to be homologated to be able to start operating. According to minister Puente, the Antequera railway testing ring would facilitate a faster process.

At the moment, homologation takes place on conventional tracks, but only when there are no passenger trains running. Logically, using tracks only whenever they are free makes the whole operation burdensome. Sometimes, the commissioning of trains can take up to several months.

Puente stated that, once completed, the Antequera railway ring would be the leading facility of its type in Europe, competing with the ones in France, the Czech Republic and Germany. It will rank right next to China. "The province will benefit from the investment and jobs will be generated during its construction," added the minister.

The aim is to not only be able to use Antequera as a "laboratory of railway technology" in Spain, but to also attract manufacturers from other countries. However, the ring project will have to undergo a new study, which could modify the initially planned construction in any direction.