The second section of the Málaga Metro extension, between Hilera and Eugenio Gross, has entered a new phase with the start of work to place and pour the tunnel’s first roof slab. The slab will allow work to begin on restoring the street surface above the tunnel. The first 13-metre section has been completed near the junction of Santa Elena Street and Honduras Street, where the first and second sections of the project meet.
Mario Muñoz-Atanet, the regional minister for Public Works and Mobility, said the slab was a prerequisite for restoring the surface in sections where the tunnel’s retaining walls have been built. He said the work would allow public streets to be reopened progressively and reduce disruption to residents.
The retaining walls, which run along the tunnel and station, are 52% complete. Walls have been finished from Honduras Street, at the connection with the end of the Guadalmedina–Hilera section, to the junction with Martínez Maldonado Street, as well as along the work ramp on Avenida de la Purísima. Work is also under way on the walls for the tunnel section between Rafaela and Martínez de la Rosa streets and around the site of the future La Trinidad station.
The completed roof slab is 8.3 metres wide and one metre thick. Its construction required more than 10 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 108 cubic metres of reinforced concrete. Further slab work is planned along Santa Elena Street towards Martínez Maldonado Street, to a total length of 140 metres—21% of the route between Hilera and Eugenio Gross.
The tunnel is being built using the cut-and-cover method: longitudinal retaining walls are constructed first, followed by the roof slab. Once the slab is extended to Martínez Maldonado Street, excavation will begin between the walls. Work will proceed through the tunnel’s first level, the intermediate and concourse slabs, and then the second level and the base slab, which will support the tracks.
Meanwhile, crews are relocating and restoring affected utility networks, including communications, sewerage, water, gas and electricity. The second section is managed by the Public Works Agency and being built by a joint venture of FCC Construcción, Eiffage Infraestructuras and Canteras de Almargen.
Construction of this 653-metre section began in June 2025. It is part of the extension to the future Virgen de la Esperanza Hospital and has a budget of nearly €47 million and a scheduled duration of 36 months. The work includes the tunnel, track infrastructure and restoration of the urban surface, as well as La Trinidad station, with an entrance on Avenida de la Purísima, and a ventilation and emergency exit shaft at the junction of Martínez Maldonado Street and Eugenio Gross.
The full extension to the future hospital will be 1.8 kilometres long and entirely underground. Its civil works are divided into three sections, all under construction, with one station in each. The estimated total investment, including civil works, installations, architecture and rail signalling, is €244 million, co-financed by European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds.