The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) has put out to tender the remodelling of the East dock track yard of the Port of Valencia for the development of a rail motorway. Specifically, the aim of this project is the execution of the civil works and installations necessary for the subsequent implementation of a gantry crane that will enable the operation of a new combined transport terminal capable of loading and unloading lorry semi-trailers between the road and the railway track at the Port of Valencia.
A rail motorway is a combined transport system in which lorry semi-trailers are transported by rail, which requires specific rolling stock and terminals to allow the flow and interaction between the two modes of transport. The basic tender budget amounts to €2,998,824.16 (VAT excluded) and companies can submit their bids until May 8 at 1 p.m.
This project is financed by the European Union’s Next Generation funds and the Spanish government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
With this initiative, which acts on the existing track beaches in the East dock of the Port of Valencia, the port facilities will be provided with the necessary infrastructure so that, under free competition, operators can opt for the operation of the Railway Freeway in which to carry out the transfer of cargo between road-rail transport modes. The installation of the gantry crane and its operation are not the object of this project.
The area of action is located in the East Dock area of the Port of Valencia, right next to the breakwater, in the area occupied by the railway and the access road to the southern end of the dock, which covers approximately 740 metres. The planned civil works consist of the foundations of the two rails on which the gantry crane will move for the loading and unloading operations of semi-trailers on the rail motorway, as well as the installations associated with the implementation of the gantry crane. In addition, the lighting of the work area and adjacent areas and low voltage for the gantry’s power sockets will be carried out. The project also includes the replacement of a series of services affected by these foundations, mainly due to the excavation associated with the foundations of the rail located next to the current terminals. The planned execution period is six months.
The PAV’s objective for the coming years is to continue increasing the use of trains in freight traffic arriving and departing from Valenciaport, hence the importance of undertaking the necessary actions to adapt railway accessibility. Thus, the PAV is making investments to take advantage of the synergy between maritime and rail transport to promote competitiveness and contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions.
Specifically, over the next few years, investments of around 240 million euros are planned to promote accessibility and improve Valenciaport’s rail network. These actions are aimed at the remodelling of the railway network in the Port of Valencia, the electrification of tracks, the adaptation of the network to the European gauge, the railway access to the Port of Sagunto or the improvement of the Valencia-Teruel-Zaragoza line, among others. The aim is to increase the weight of the railway in freight transport. Already in 2022, the weekly average of trains operating in the Port of Valencia was 90 compared to 80 in 2021. A trend that continues to increase in these first months of this year with weeks with 99 trains.
A strategy along the lines set by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda through the Mercancías 30 initiative, which aims to promote rail freight transport as the backbone of multimodal logistics chains. To this end, 8 billion euros will be allocated to infrastructures and digitalisation, in addition to an aid programme included in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Thus, for example, key infrastructures such as the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor, which is essential to facilitate the work of export companies from Aragon, Navarre, La Rioja and the Basque Country to the Port of Valencia, are being promoted. The APV has also signed a protocol, together with ADIF and the company Tramesa, to promote the first rail motorway linking the port area with Madrid, an initiative that the company in charge of the project is going to extend with another connection linking the Valencian area with Portugal.
