Rail freight traffic at the largest port in Spain, Algeciras, has significantly decreased throughout 2024 so far. The main reason behind the drop is that shippers are moving their goods onto the road as the rail infrastructure will be largely unavailable due to upgrades to develop the Zaragoza-Algeciras rolling highway.

Volumes moved by rail at the port of Algeciras decreased by 30 per cent between January and July 2024 compared to the same period last year. More specifically, the number of total trains handled at the port went from 460 to 359, as Spanish media Europa Sur pointed out. This trend might even continue and get worse, as rail infrastructure works will continue throughout 2025.

Algeciras-Zaragoza rolling highway

The decision of logistics companies to choose road over rail lies in the fact that the Rolling Highway between Algeciras and Zaragoza is not ready yet, and more work is needed to adapt the rail infrastructure. This rolling highway was initially planned to commence operations in 2025, but now it has been indefinitely postponed.

The tenders to adapt the infrastructure between Madrid and Zaragoza were assigned a couple of weeks ago. However, the situation for the southern section of the line, from Madrid to Algeciras, seems to be a tad more complicated and is causing further delays.