Less than a month until the launch of the Madrid-Valencia rolling highway
The Madrid – Valencia rolling highway service will start operations at the beginning of July. Moreover, the port of Valencia wants to extend the service into Portugal.
The deployment of the rolling highway between Valencia and Madrid was announced in the summer of 2023. Testing operations started at the beginning of June. An official start of operation was expected for the beginning of this year, but that has been delayed to the beginning of July. The project’s main goal will be to transfer semi-trailers, including non-cranable, from the road to the rail.
For example, the focus will be on cargo that reaches the port of Valencia from Italy by sea and usually continues its journey through Spain by trucks. The service will begin with a daily connection with a capacity of 40 semi-trailers. That way, it could take over ten thousand trucks off the road on an annual basis.
Extension into Portugal
The port of Valencia has expressed interest in extending the rolling highway into Portugal. Companies Transitalia and Tramesa, both partners of the initiative, have expressed interest in new railway services, giving the Valencian port confidence in such an expansion. With a connection to Madrid already in place, the extension linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea is planned for 2025.
However, this timeline remains uncertain. While gauge problems between Madrid and Valencia have been resolved, a tough section on the way to Portugal remains. Between the towns of Manzanares and Badajoz, a section with two tunnels and fifteen overpasses still needs to be adapted.
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