The Spanish government put out a tender worth 64.7 million euros for preparing the Algeciras-Bobadilla railway for rolling highway services. This project concerns the future Algeciras-Zaragoza rolling highway, for which, however, an opening date remains unknown.
“The first of the projects aims to improve the stability of a 7 km long slope along which the road runs, located in Almargen, in the province of Malaga. The second project will adapt the clearance of 21 tunnels to the measurements required for the rolling highway service,” the Spanish ministry of transport. These works will not include the electrification of the line, they will create the space for implementing the needed infrastructure in the future.
The Algeciras-Zaragoza rolling highway
The project to connect Spain’s largest port with the Zaragoza PLAZA Terminal in Zaragoza is one of the major rail freight projects in the country. However, the initiative has been postponed indefinitely due to the lack of available rolling stock and pending works to adapt the infrastructure.
The indefinite postponement of its opening is not the only issue concerning this project. The necessary infrastructure upgrades are causing significant disruptions, causing goods to be transferred onto trucks, leading to a rail freight drop in the port of Algeciras, a trend which is expected to continue in 2025 as well.
The total investment for the Algeciras-Zaragoza rolling highway project should revolve around 472 million euros, 323 of which have already been mobilised. The main actions will include adapting 43 tunnels and 131 overpasses as well as the extension of tracks in 13 stations to accommodate longer freight trains.