Zaragoza Maritime Terminal to double number of trains by end 2023
The expansion of the Zaragoza Maritime Terminal (TMZ) in northeastern Spain has officially started. The project aims at doubling the number of trains handled in the Spanish terminal every year, from 3,500 to 7,000.
The total investment will revolve around 10,5 million euros. With the new expansion, the terminal will also increase its storage capacity by 50 per cent. “The growing demand for the services offered by our terminal has been the main reason for carrying out this important project”, TMZ said.
A two-phase project to expand the TMZ before the end of the year
Works for the expansion of the TMZ will be divided into two phases. The first phase, expected to last around four months, will be carried out on a surface of 30,000 square metres. One-third of this surface will be dedicated to the extension of the loading and unloading rail tracks to accommodate trains of up to 750 metres in length. The remaining 20,000 square metres will be used to increase the storage capacity of the TMZ.
The second phase, which will start after the completion of phase one, is also expected to take roughly four months. During this phase, the terminal in Zaragoza will be connected to the main rail network in the north of Spain. According to TMZ, 20,000 square metres will be used for the construction of the new rail link. If all goes according to plan, therefore, the expanded terminal will be ready before the end of 2023.
The Zaragoza Maritime Terminal
The importance of the TMZ lies in the fact that it is the only terminal in the Aragon region with a regular rail connection to the port of Algeciras, in the south of Spain. Moreover, it is one of the main hubs on the TEN-T Mediterranean Corridor for Spain. The terminal can also count on connections to the ports of Barcelona and Bilbao, respectively in the west and north of the country.
The terminal’s majority stakeholder is Mercazaragoza, a public logistics company specialising in agro-food in the Ebro Valley, with 56,7 per cent of the shares. The port of Barcelona owns 21,5 per cent of TMZ’s share and the government of Aragon owns 20,5 per cent. The remaining 1,3 per cent of the shares are owned by private partners. The terminal is operated by TMZ Services, whose ownership is divided among Maersk (45 per cent), Hutchinson (20 per cent), and the group of private investors mentioned above (35 per cent).
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