The Spanish ministry of transport published the third call for rail freight eco-incentives, increasing the available funds to 44,3 million euros. Moreover, this round saw the return among the eligible companies of state-owned operator Renfe Mercancías, which received 14,7 million euros, 33% of the total.
Other than Renfe, the second main beneficiary of the scheme was Captrain, which received 14 million euros, 31% of the total. The other two companies benefitting the most from the eco-incentives are Continental Rail (6,1 million euros – 13.8%) and Medway (5,5 million euros – 12.5%). Cefsa, Low Cost Rail, CSP Logitren, Transfesa Logistics and Tracción Rail were the other companies receiving money.
Boosting the modal shift without penalising road freight
The implementation eco-incentives for rail freight were part of an agreement between Spain and the European Commission to unlock some of the funds of the country’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Former transport minister Raquel Sánchez proposed to introduce this scheme instead of increasing road freight tolls in an attempt to boost the modal shift to rail.
With the first call, 26,1 million euros were allocated, while 21,8 million euros were made available in the second one. Companies can qualify for these eco-incentives as long as their volumes increase. For example, Renfe Mercancías was the main recipient of the first call but was then excluded from the second call because it did not meet this requirement. However, the company was now eligible again, meaning that its situation has improved.