One key point in Spain to increase the modal share of rail freight, especially to and from ports, is the deployment of rolling highway services to transport semi-trailers on trains. The latest development concerns the port of Huelva, in southwest Spain, which will invest 7,7 million euros to create a new track and expand a terminal to accommodate this type of traffic.
The work will be carried out by Madrid-based construction company Asch Infraestructuras y Servicios over the next 11 months. A new 1,211-metre-long track will be built, and the Muelle Sur terminal will be expanded by 15,112 square metres, almost 50 per cent of its current size. Other improvements will regard the signalling system, safety, drainage and lighting.
The plan for the future rolling highway from Huelva is to go through Madrid, Zaragoza and all the way to the French border. Once operative, the service should run three times a week, with available capacity for 30 semi-trailers per journey. Currently, the port of Huelva has railway connections to Madrid, Seville, Burgos, Extremadura and to Portuguese destinations as well.
Rolling highways in Spain
Currently, the only rolling highways active in Spain connect Valencia to Madrid, with talks of extending it to Valladolid, and Barcelona to France via the Perthus Tunnel, where a 90 per cent toll reduction led to doubling the traffic. Works are also underway to introduce such services between Algeciras and Zaragoza. However, this project still does not have a clear deadline and construction works are causing traffic disruptions at the port of Algeciras. Despite these challenges, the Spanish government is also considering extending this rolling highway to Tarragona.
Other than the Valencia-Madrid, Barcelona-France, and the future Algeciras-Zaragoza, Spain is working on various other routes, albeit all of them are in the initial stages or just up for consideration:
- Seville-Madrid-Zaragoza
- Valencia-Badajoz-Lisbon
- Madrid-Badajoz-Oporto-Lisbon
- Azuqueca-Zaragoza-Tarragona
- Tarragona-Barcelona
- Madrid-Valladolid-Burgos-Vitoria
- Murcia-Madrid
- Cádiz-Madrid
- Tamarite de Litera-Irún/Portbou
- Zaragoza-Pamplona (Noain)-Vitoria (Júndiz)