After a month-long hiatus, the Port of Santander has access to the rail network again. Spanish infrastructure manager Adif completed upgrade works on the railway between the port town and Palencia, towards the centre of the country.

August’s works concerned a short 1,8 kilometre section between the towns of Renedo and Guarnizo. The Santander port was not reachable via rail during the modernisation.

Adif explains that the works have been of “large scale and technical complexity” and therefore “incompatible with rail traffic”. “Concentrating them in August has minimised the impact on traffic, both of passengers and goods with the Port of Santander” the infrastructure manager says.

Criticism on the closure

Despite the reportedly limited effect on rail traffic, there is criticism on the organisation of it. The closure was only announced in July, barely a month before the initiation of the works. The Spanish Minister of Public Works pointed out that the traffic cut “should have been announced earlier” and described it as “totally improvised.”

As the modernisation involves a high-speed line, it primarily benefits passenger traffic. The Santander – Palencia project can count on 1,7 billion euros in investments to “promote mobility and high-speed communications between Santander and the centre and the rest of the country”, says Adif.