Wagon leasing company VTG is leading another project to put more semi-trailers on rail in Spain. The company led a training day to prepare for the launch of a rail highway service between the port of Huelva, in the southwest, to Córdoba, in the south.
The initiative sees the participation of various players. VTG provides the T4000 wagons and the r2L system developed with Vega to move the semi-trailers onto the trains. The service will be operated by AthosRail and the semi-trailers come from TXT Transporte y Logistica, as Alfredo Ruz, Commercial Director at VTG pointed out on LinkedIn.
Trains will run between the Yilport Iberia terminal in Huelva, managed by the Turkish Yilport Group, and the Córdoba el Higuerón facility, run by Laumar. The preparations for the launch of a Huelva-Cördoba rail highway started one year ago, with the announcement of a new track and the expansion of the terminal in the port of Huelva.
Rail highways in Spain
Currently, there are two operational rail highway services in Spain, one between Barcelona and the French border across the Perthus tunnel, on standard gauge, and one in Iberian gauge. The latter connects the port of Valencia to Madrid and, as of recently, to Entrocamento in Portugal. Spain is working on the launch of at least 10 more, including:
- 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)