Rail freight in Spain posts volume growth for third consecutive quarter

Volumes of goods transported by rail in Spain increased by 6.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter. This is the third consecutive quarter where Spanish rail freight volumes grow. However, these figures are still over 13 per cent lower than the same period in 2023.

The increase concerns tonne-kilometre figures, which reached 2,456 million, as Spanish rail freight association Faprove pointed out. Other than rising volumes, the data compiled by the National Commission on Markets and Competition shows that Renfe Mercancias, the state-owned operator, continues to lose volumes to the private sector.

After going below 50 per cent of the country’s market share in 2023, Renfe’s slice of the pie was further reduced to 43,68 per cent. Faprove underlined that the market share of the private sector in Spain went from 25 per cent ten years ago to over 56 per cent this year. “although certain challenges still persist, the railway sector is on a path to recovery, with more competition, greater efficiency and an increasingly diverse and robust service offering”, the association concluded.