Two ports in southern Spain are taking steps towards a larger role for rail freight. The port of Huelva completed the expansion of the rail infrastructure in the southern dock, while the port of Seville launched a tender to extend rail access to the liquid logistics terminal.
For the seaport of Huelva, works included the installation of a third track to launch rail highway services to move semi-trailers on 750-metre trains. To this end, the port started testing this transport option to Córdoba in cooperation with VTG and Ewals Cargo Care a couple weeks ago.
In total, the port authority invested €6.3 million coming from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. 1,2 km of new slab track was laid and the nearby terminal was expanded from roughly 33,000 to 48.000 sqm. “The works have been carried out by the company Asch Infraestructuras y Servicios SA”, the port of Huelva said.
750-metre trains in Seville
For the port of Seville, sitting near the Guadalquivir River, the goal is also to be able to handle trains of 750 metres in length at the Sevitrade Liquid Logistics Terminal by adding a new siding. “This siding will have a total length of one kilometer and will run along the left bank of the existing rail ring of the Port of Seville”, the port specified.
Companies can submit their proposals until 29 September. The investment needed amounts to €2.3 million, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and the execution of the works should take 10 months. Thus, the new line should be commissioned by mid-2027. In addition to this initiative, Seville is also building a new rail yard in Palmas Altas, a few kilometres south of the main port area, where three tracks of 750 metres will be built.
