Vía Verde of Lucainena

One of the most authentic itineraries in inland Almeria is the ancient mining train between Lucainena de las Torres and Agua Amarga. At the foot of the Sierra de Alhamilla mountain and to the rhythm of the Lucainena boulevard, we can explore the lands of the sun among cortijadas, silence, desert, solitude, mountains and gorges, praising all colour and vegetation along the way.

The Vía Verde de Lucainena de las Torres was constructed in 2009, making use of the route of the old mining train between Lucainena de las Torres and Agua Amarga. This Vía Verde covers 5 km, which is suitable for everyone, through the foothills of the Sierra Alhamilla mountain, crossing an arid landscape, until reaching El Saltador cortijada.

The line started in Lucainena de las Torres, where in addition to the station, workshops, storehouses, a steam power plant, the station house and the mineral deposits were built, with a length of 39 km, as well as three junction and re-fuelling stations: Pealejos, Camarillas and Palmerosa.

Between 1896 and 1931, this train carried a total of 3,795,569 metric tons of mineral.

This splendour became extinct with the Civil War and subsequent dismantling of the route. In 1942 the activity in the mines came to a complete halt, and the “Bartolo” steam train loaded for the last time in Aguamarga. Later, the mining facilities and the railroad were dismantled, the trains, bridges and railways were taken apart and transported to Almeria, were they would continue their work elsewhere.