{"id":466646,"date":"2026-06-30T16:20:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=72238"},"modified":"2026-06-30T16:20:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T06:20:47","slug":"spanish-rail-freight-again-falls-to-pandemic-lows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=466646","title":{"rendered":"Spanish rail freight again falls to pandemic lows"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fatal Spanish rail incidents in early 2026 have kept both passengers and freight away from the tracks. After two fatal train crashes and other incidents between 18 and 22 January, the number of passengers on high speed lines declined by 21% year-on-year. Freight, even if not involved in January\u2019s events, saw a 13% volume decrease.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The conclusion is that freight volumes have fallen to levels similar to those observed during the covid pandemic, according to Spain\u2019s competition regulator CNMC<\/a>. All major rail freight performance indicators declined. For example, Spanish rail freight moved around 4.8 million tonnes in Q1 2026, down by 8.2% from Q1 2025.<\/p>\n

In line with that development, performance in terms of net tonne-kilometres worsened too: -13.3%. Trains covered only 4.9 million train-kilometres (-11.9%). The most important indicator of all, income, declined more than anything: -15.9%. This amounts to nearly 64 million euros.<\/p>\n