Spain’s infrastructure manager Adif proposed significant changes to its system for track access charges (TAC). The main one is that they might be frozen until 2028, making it the country’s first multi-year TAC plan. Moreover, there may also be big discounts for cross-border freight services on standard gauge.
In concrete terms, what Adif suggested is to keep TAC frozen for the next three years for all categories except for freight services on lines that allow for maximum speed over 200km/h for two-thirds of their length (Líneas A). These fees will be equated to the ones applied to freight traffic along all the other ‘conventional’ lines in Iberian gauge.
Thus, TAC along Líneas A for freight service would decrease by more that 88%, from €1,73 to €0,20 per train-kilometre, according to the National Market and Competition Commission (CNMC). All other fees would remain unchanged because “full coverage of (Adif’s) direct costs would require a significant increase”, the CNMC specified.
Limited advantages for freight
An 88% discount for freight on high-speed lines would be highly beneficial, but only for a very small portion of the sector. Only a few sections of Líneas A allow freight trains to run, as they are mostly reserved for high-speed passenger convoys. The main one currently in use is the Figueras–Perpignan line, connecting Barcelona to France. In the future, the so-called Basque Y, connecting Vitoria-Gasteiz with Irun and Bilbao.
CNMC’s response
Before being approved, the CNMC said that the proposal requires several modifications, most of which concern passenger traffic. “Firstly, the CNMC is calling for a reduction in the tariffs for variable gauge services in 2026 and 2027, as they exceed the directly attributable costs”, the Commission added.
The rest of the requests concern a reduction in the surcharge along the Madrid-Málaga line and a temporary TAC reduction along the Madrid-Barcelona axis due to speed restrictions. Finally, CNMC is asking for a review of the calculation of direct costs of rail services on the infrastructure and a new “methodology to segment the application of surcharges”.