Logistic platform in the heart of Spain will handle 750-metre trains
The new logistic platform in Alcazar de San Juan, 150 kilometres south of Madrid, will be equipped to handle 750-metre-long freight trains. This was underlined by the Valencia Port Authority (APV), which is participating in the development of the facility, after a meeting with all the parties involved in the initiative.
The project involves the APV, the Spanish government and various local entities from the Castilla-La Mancha region, where Alcazar de San Juan is located. The new facility is expected to boost trade from this area, notorious for its wine production. As the city of Alcazar de San Juan pointed out, “75 per cent of the Wine Cooperatives of Castilla-La Mancha is in the area of influence of the future platform”.
The APV has also stated that the parties involved agreed on relying on the private sector for 30 per cent of the project funding. The initiative for a new facility in Alcazar de San Juan was launched in February. Back then, the Spanish Ministry of Public Works said that 500,000 euros of the regional budget for 2023 has been allocated to “initiate all the measures that we are going to take in the coming months”.
The port of Valencia want more rail connections
The port of Valencia is not only involved in improving rail connections to the Castilla-La Mancha region. In May, the Port Authority started a study for a direct connection to Burgos province, in the northern province of Castilla y Leon. The Burgos area hosts the manufacturing headquarters of companies such as L’Oreal and Bridgestone. Currently, the only way to reach Valencia from Burgos is via Madrid and Valladolid. A direct railway connection would reduce the distance and transit times between the two locations. Moreover, it would allow Burgos’s manufacturing sector to reach the Mediterranean via rail efficiently.
Moreover, the APV manages the ports of Gandia and Segunto, respectively, north and south of Valencia. The Port Authority is also working on upgrade the Sagunto-Teruel-Zaragoza railway line. The plan to upgrade this rail connection, pushed by the APV, led to the Spanish infrastructure manager Adif investing hundreds of million euros in it to allow the transit of 750-metre trains. The port of Sagunto specialises in the transport of vehicles, and the automotive industry is one of Zaragoza’s leading industries.
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