The railway section Águilas-El Hornillo was inaugurated in 1903. The structure is 1,207m long and belongs to Almendricos-Águilas branch line and Lorca-Baeza line. The construction of the branch line was an initiative of the British engineer Gustavo Guillman, who was the director of the railway infrastructure between 1897 and 1911. The pier was located on the last 160m of the railway line and was used to load ships with mineral extracted from the Sierra de Bacares. The pier is a 161m long metallic structure supported by a concrete plinth founded on rock. Cross-sectional width is 11.89m and the total height of the metallic structure from the concrete blocks foundation up to the stringers is 9.96m.

Due to the structure’s poor condition, a series of historical, climate, maritime and durability studies, mechanical characterization of steel and masonry and a structural analysis were carried out in order to assess the significance of the deterioration processes. The extreme corrosion of the metallic structure, caused by the battery of waves, made it necessary to prescribe a series of corrective measures aimed at ensuring structural stability and showcase the value of this national industrial heritage site.