Hupac leads the race to manage Barcelona’s La Llagosta terminal
The La Llagosta terminal in Barcelona, currently under tender by Adif, has attracted big names. Companies like Hupac, Renfe, Duisport, Kombiverkehr, and VIIA have all expressed interest in managing the terminal. However, Hupac seems to be in a more advantageous position.
According to Adif, which launched the tender last January, the future terminal manager must invest at least 12 million euros in the location. A report by the Spanish publication El Mercantil said that three bids stood out: one by Hupac and TPNova, one by a consortium comprising Renfe, Duisport and Kombiverkehr and one by VIIA.
The same report mentioned that one of the three bids did not pass the technical phase and that Hupac could ultimately be the winner. According to sources, the company’s offer has received the highest valuation so far. In any case, the tender is still ongoing, and the result is not final.
A valuable prize
The fact that so many big names have been involved in the tender process of the La Llagosta intermodal terminal indicates its importance as a future logistics hub, no matter the final winner. The terminal is located 20 kilometres away from the port of Barcelona, a leading logistics and transport hub in Spain and Southern Europe and the Can Tunis railway complex. The three locations comprise a vast logistics node right next to the border with France and the hub of Perpignan.
Currently, the La Llagosta terminal is undergoing a comprehensive transformation to adapt to European freight standards. When complete, the terminal will be able to accommodate 750-metre-long trains on four railway tracks. Adif is also constructing a rail link connecting the terminal with the high-speed standard gauge line from Barcelona to the French border. The line will be ready by August 2024. Additionally, the terminal will be connected with the mixed gauge to the El Papiol-Mollet line and in standard gauge to the network of high speed, in both cases from the bifurcation of Mollet.
