It branches from the Alcázar de San Juan–Cádiz railway at Linares and terminates in Almería.

The route formerly contained the Hacho Bridge, which was the longest iron viaduct on the Spanish rail network.

[1] The line is used by all trains from Almería to Madrid, with the full journey taking around six hours.

[2] To continue to Madrid from Linares, the line uses the Alcázar de San Juan–Cádiz railway as far as Alcázar de San Juan, and the Madrid–Valencia railway to Madrid Chamartín.

In 2023[needs update], Almería railway station will be linked to the AVE high-speed rail network by the Murcia–Almería high-speed rail line, allowing a 3.5 hour journey to Madrid,[3] compared to over six hours using the Linares Baeza–Almería railway, which will therefore decrease in importance.