{"id":433852,"date":"2026-05-21T17:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T07:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=71270"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T07:51:08","slug":"spain-prepares-to-reduce-tacs-for-freight-on-1435-millimetre-gauge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=433852","title":{"rendered":"Spain prepares to reduce TACs for freight on 1,435-millimetre gauge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good news for Spanish rail freight operators. The national rail infrastructure manager Adif will soon reduce track access charges (TAC) for standard-gauge rail freight. Such a measure has been a long-standing demand of the industry association AEFP.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Adif is currently in the final stages of implementing the TAC reduction, reports publication El Mercantil. The updated fees could enter into effect by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n

The change will apply to 1,435-millimetre (standard-gauge) railways, where rail operators now pay a higher fee than on the traditional Iberian-gauge railways. This is because Spain considers the standard-gauge railways to be high-performance lines.<\/p>\n

Mediterranean Corridor<\/h2>\n

However, freight does not make use of these high-performance benefits, so the operators in question are, in essence, paying a higher fee and getting nothing in return. \u201cFor the last four years, we have been raising this issue with the CNMC [National Markets and Competition Commission], the Ministry, and Adif, because the fees paid by high-speed passenger services do not make sense for freight\u201d, Juan Diego Pedrero, president of the Association of Private Railway Companies (AEFP) is quoted as saying.<\/p>\n

If freight were to pay the same fees as high-speed passenger rail, there would not be any freight trains running on those high-performance lines, Pedrero continued. The expectation is that the TAC change will exert a positive effect on rail freight traffic on the Mediterranean Corridor.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Spain also introduced a modest financial support package for rail freight relating to the oil crisis. Rail operators can apply for 15,000 euros in subsidies<\/strong> per diesel locomotive.<\/p>\n