Concrete falls again at Los Boliches station. Fuengirola residents demand action

Pieces of concrete fell from the elevated railway structure near Los Boliches station in Fuengirola on Tuesday 10 November, according to Euro Weekly News. Residents say it is the second such incident and are asking when permanent repairs will be made.

Key facts

• Date: the latest fall of concrete took place on Tuesday, 10 November, near Los Boliches station.
• Response: police vehicles and two fire engines attended, and firefighters removed loose material.
• Damage: photographs show damaged concrete with exposed reinforcing metal. A hole about one metre long was reported in the supporting structure.
• Trains: services reportedly kept running, with Renfe ordering trains to slow down on the affected section.
• Responsibility: Euro Weekly News says the central government is legally responsible in this case, through Adif.

What happened on Tuesday

According to Euro Weekly News, an elderly local woman was walking near the station when concrete reportedly began to fall from the structure above her. She called the emergency services, fearing someone could be seriously hurt. The report does not mention any injuries.

Police and two fire engines arrived within minutes, the outlet said. Firefighters then removed fallen concrete and other loose material to reduce the danger to pedestrians and passing traffic.

There were initial concerns over whether trains should keep running while the work was under way. Services were reportedly allowed to continue, with Renfe, the state train operator, ordering trains to reduce speed through the affected section.

Earlier warnings

The report says this is not the first incident. In an earlier case, a pedestrian narrowly avoided being hit by a piece of concrete from the same elevated structure at Los Boliches. Firefighters attended and the Local Police took a formal statement.

According to information from another resident, quoted by Euro Weekly News, both Fuengirola Local Police and the town hall have told Adif, the state-owned company that manages Spain's railway infrastructure, about the deterioration. The outlet says the local government in Málaga maintains that the situation has still not been properly addressed. The report adds that, at present, only a strip of police tape warns of the danger.

Residents want to know whether a full structural inspection has been carried out and when permanent repairs will take place. The article does not report any response from Adif or the town hall.

Wider concern over infrastructure

Euro Weekly News places the incident against a broader debate about infrastructure on the Costa del Sol. Mijas mayor Ana Mata, speaking at a mobility forum in Málaga on 12 November, said: "En materia de infraestructuras, nos hemos quedado en los años 80" (in terms of infrastructure, we have been left in the 1980s). The outlet also notes that Estepona mayor José María García Urbano has repeatedly called for improvements to the A-7 coastal road.

The report also refers to a sensitive moment for Spain's railways, citing the January Adamuz disaster, which it says claimed 46 lives, and the 28 October collision near Urda, which it says killed 69 people. It says Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned on 3 November and that Adif president Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña later resigned too. Euro Weekly News stresses there is no suggestion that the damage at Los Boliches is linked to either disaster.

What it means for residents

For people who use the pavement under the railway at Los Boliches, the practical point is that the damaged section has so far only been cleared of loose material and cordoned off, according to the report. Questions about inspection and repair remain with Adif as the infrastructure manager. Residents can report concerns to the Fuengirola town hall or Local Police, which the report says have already contacted Adif.