The port of Barcelona will get a new rail access route in the south
The Spanish Ministry of Transport (MITMA) put out a tender for the project of the southern rail entrance to the port of Barcelona. New railway infrastructure will be developed to connect the Can Tunis terminal and the L’Hospitalet-Can Tunis section.
Concerning rail, the two main initiatives are two tunnels, as Spanish infrastructure manager Adif specified. The first one will be a double track tunnel, stretching for 1,9 kilometres, and will link the L’Hospitalet-Can Tunis with the port. The second tunnel will be a little shorter, 1,3 kilometres, and will connect with the Can Tunis station. As Adif mentioned, the project also includes the development of the railway link between the logistics area known as Zona Franca and the port via Pratenc.
The project has an estimated cost of 12,2 million euros and will also include new access roads to the Catalan port. The first phase has an estimated period of 2024. The second one, which will entail reports, actions, and details of the project, will have a duration of 12 months, as Adif underlined. It needs to be mentioned that MITMA did not specify whether the new railway infrastructure will be standard or Iberian gauge.
The Barcelona Can Tunis terminal is still looking for a manager
Despite railway projects being implemented around the Can Tunis terminal, the facility’s future is a tad more uncertain. The terminal is in fact undergoing a change of management through Adif, which put out a tender. The contract was awarded to Spanish logistics company Transportes Portuarios. However, the current manager of the terminal, Grupo Alonso, presented an appeal, which halted the whole process and brought it back to square one.
Spain’s projects on the Mediterranean Corridor
Other than in Barcelona, Spain is investing in another key rail freight hub of the Mediterranean Corridor: Valencia. A couple of weeks ago, MITMA put out a tender to create a standard gauge line reserved for freight convoys. This line will create a new connection between the Sant-Lluís-Almussafes freight bypass and the Valencia-Alicante high-speed line. The new infrastructure will be able to accommodate 750-metre trains and it will run parallel to the current high-speed rail. This project is expected to cost around 2,8 million euros.
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