Tourist train departures from central Torrevieja have been suspended since 5 September after the municipal concession expired and the operator’s request to continue running the service was rejected, according to a report published by The Leader.
The interruption affects the routes that departed from Paseo de La Libertad, opposite Plaza de Waldo Calero: the coastal sightseeing route and the connection between the town centre and the saltworks.
Train tours within the saltworks continue
The suspension of town-centre departures does not mean that all train visits to the saltworks have stopped, as the tours within the site operate under arrangements separate from the municipal concession.
The same operator continues to provide guided journeys inside the private complex through an independent commercial agreement with the salt company; these visits begin directly at the saltworks rather than in the town centre.
The connection from the town centre to the saltworks was introduced in 2018 and enabled visitors to discover the production activity, the mountains of salt and the history of this local industry.
From the August expiry to the September suspension
The municipal concession expired on 9 August 2026, after the Local Government Board rejected a request on 10 July to keep the service running until a new contract could be brought into operation.
The company appealed against that decision and requested a stay while its appeal was considered; the council granted the temporary stay on 7 August, allowing the trains to continue operating during the final weeks of the peak summer season.
On 4 September, the Local Government Board rejected the appeal and the service was suspended the following day, according to the chronology reported by the newspaper.
The contract had been awarded in 2021, with the operator paying the council an annual fee of €37,501 excluding VAT for the right to run the two services.
Details of the dispute emerged at Monday’s ordinary council meeting, where the decree rejecting the operator’s appeal was presented to councillors.
The dispute also concerned the concession’s duration: the tender documents provided for an initial four years and a possible extension of another four.
The council’s legal report found insufficient economic justification to exceed five years and considered only a single additional year permissible.
Your city, in your inbox.
Useful news and plans for Torrevieja and the surrounding area. Mondays at 08:00 and Thursdays at 18:00 (Europe/Madrid): two emails a week. In English, free and without the noise.
Your choice. Confirm your email and unsubscribe at any time.
