{"id":362360,"date":"2026-02-04T21:20:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T11:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=69106"},"modified":"2026-02-04T21:20:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T11:20:05","slug":"gradual-resumption-of-france-spain-freight-trains-set-to-begin-5-february","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=362360","title":{"rendered":"Gradual resumption of France-Spain freight trains set to begin 5 February"},"content":{"rendered":"

A gradual resumption in the operation freight trains between France and Spain is set to begin tomorrow, 5 February, according to an industry source. Traffic has been at a near-standstill on the route for the past fortnight following the closure of the Rub\u00ed Tunnel, near Barcelona, as a result of severe weather which caused damage to rail infrastructure.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The tunnel is a key link in the rail network as it allows freight trains to bypass Barcelona but there is no alternative route. As a direct consequence of the closure, the number of immobilised trains<\/a> \u2013 loaded with new vehicles and containers \u2013 is estimated to have totalled dozens.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this stage and based on the information available to us, traffic is expected to gradually resume from tomorrow. We have been informed that the Rub\u00ed Tunnel should be open for approximately 10 to 12 hours a day to allow freight trains to pass through,\u201c a spokesperson for the operator of the Perthus Tunnel, LFP Perthus, which connects France and Spain through the Pyrenees, told RailFreight.com.<\/p>\n

A few trains running since last week<\/h2>\n

\u201cHowever, I would like to point out that this information has been communicated to us and that its implementation does not depend on LFP Perthus. So we continue to monitor the situation closely.\u201d The spokesperson had previously revealed that since last week one or two trains per day have been running through the Perthus Tunnel to the Port of Barcelona\u2019s new La Llagosta terminal managed by Combiconnect (Hupac\/TP Nova). But operations remain disrupted because the terminal is not yet in its final configuration.<\/p>\n

Trains queueing<\/h2>\n

Last week, DB Cargo France’s president and CEO, Alexandre Gallo, told RailFreight.com that the company has six trains parked and waiting in France and four in Spain since because of the Rub\u00ed Tunnel\u2019s closure. The company had also put on hold scheduled train departures from Germany. DB Cargo France normally operates 20 round trips per week between Germany and Spain.<\/p>\n

Half of the train loads carried are made up of new vehicles and spare parts and the other half are combined transport shipments. Gallo criticised Spain\u2019s rail infrastructure manager, ADIF, for leaving operators on the dark on when freight trains were likely to be allowed to resume. Earlier this week, he told RailFreight.com that contingency solutions if the tunnel\u2019s closure was prolonged further could include a diversion via Irun for trains bound for Madrid and for combined transport trains, the unloading of ITUs in France and on-forwarding by truck.<\/p>\n