A rail terminal near the port of Sagunto, part of the Valencia Port Authority, is now operational on standard gauge, making it a key hub along the TEN-T Mediterranean Corridor. “With this transformation, our terminal is now fully operational on international gauge, allowing for the direct movement of UIC trains without transfers or axle changes”, said Railsider Mediterráneo, the company managing the terminal.
The project was launched in March 2024 and received a little over one million euros in EU funding from Spain’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. Rail freight at the terminal has been rising over the past few years. Last year, 327 trains were handled, a 7.6% increase compared to 2023. With the implementation of the standard gauge, new possibilities for even further growth.
Railsider Mediterráneo
Railsider Mediterráneo operates three terminals in Spain: one in Sagunto, one in Barcelona and one in Portbou, on the border with France. The facilities in Sagunto and Portbou are both equipped with standard gauge, which is being implemented at the one in Barcelona as well. “This will make it the first Spanish operator with all its facilities connected to Europe via UIC gauge”, the company claimed. However, there still is a missing piece before all the terminals can be puzzled together.
The rail network along the Spanish east coast is only partially equipped with the standard gauge. From Valencia, it only stretches northward to Castelló, passing through Sagunto. From there, there is no standard gauge infrastructure for almost 300 kilometres until Barcelona. Works to fill this gap and adapt the section between Castelló and Barcelona are underway in various sections, but it will take a few years before everything is connected.
Standard gauge is slowly but surely moving i to many parts of Spain. Why not with euro support.