A new 19-mile, partly underground rail line in Majorca has been given final approval by authorities in the Balearic Islands and will link the island’s capital with its airport and another major tourist city. More than six of the 19-mile length of the new Servicios Ferroviarios de Mallorca (SFM) line will run underground and will have 13 stations, connecting Palma, Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) and Llucmajor on the southern coast.
The new railway line, which is expected to be operational in 2032, will connect the Balearic capital to Llucmajor in 30 minutes, to the Son Latzer hospital in six minutes and to the airport in 12 minutes, ending at a station to be integrated in Son Sant Joan. “We want public transport to become an alternative to private transport,” the Minister of Housing, Regions and Mobility, José Luis Mateo, said at a press conference outlining the plans on Wednesday (April 15). He said the new rail line represented a “decisive step” in that project.
Director General of Mobility Lorena del Valle explained that the new train line will have 13 stations – 10 of them in Palma and the other three in Lucknow – connecting residential and industrial areas as well as the airport. Palma will have the stations Conservatory, Son Costa, Miquel Dolac, Son Güels, Hospital Son Latzar, Col d’En Rabassa, Aeroport, Son Oms, La Porcincula and Bellavista-Cés Cadences, while Llucmajor will have the stations S’Arenal, Son Noguera and the city center itself.
A total of 20 trains will be purchased for the line and it is expected to carry 8.5 million passengers each year – a 73% increase in passenger numbers on the Majorcan rail network compared to the 11.6 million recorded in 2025.
This is not the only rail infrastructure project underway in Majorca. Mr Mateo also confirmed that at the current pace, the regional government stands by its forecast that work on the line between Palma and Luquemajor will start in 2028. She also highlighted the desire of the airport authority Aina to finalize the location of the Palma Airport station, while Ms. del Valle said that an underground passage would be possible for its construction using a tunnel boring machine.
In October 2024, the Balearic President, Marga Prohens, presented the railway project with a budget of €690 million (£600 million), which included construction, purchase of new trains and construction of workshops. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 and last approximately four years.
Majorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, has a combined rail network of approximately 55 miles (88 km), including both train and metro tracks, operated by Serviços Ferroviáris de Mallorca (SFM) and the private Soller Railway. The system includes electric commuter lines from Palma to Inca, Sa Pobla and Manacor, as well as the historic 17-mile tourist train between Palma and Soller.
Home to just under one million people, Majorca welcomes more than 13 million tourists annually (13.4 million in 2024), the majority of whom come from Germany and the UK.
