Transport will study connecting Canfranc with the Mediterranean corridor for goods

The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has begun drafting studies to analyse the feasibility of establishing a freight route to connect the Pau-Canfranc line with the Mediterranean Corridor, when the international railway line is reopened. The current and future functional needs will be analysed, by type of traffic (passengers and freight) and by type of gauge. The contract has been formalised for around 513,900 euros (VAT included). It has been awarded to the UTE formed by the companies Ayesa, Ingeniería y Arquitectura SA and Teirlog Ingeniería SL.

Currently, the freight connection between the Zaragoza node and the coastal axis of the Mediterranean Corridor in the Barcelona area is made through two single-track lines of Iberian gauge with a preferential direction of traffic, so that freight circulates on the Zaragoza -Lleida-Plana de Picamoixons-Barcelona line and the opposite direction is carried out on the Barcelona-Mora la Nova-Caspe- Zaragoza line. On both lines, Adif is promoting actions to boost rail freight traffic, such as widening sidings and tunnel and overpass gauges.

These studies will analyse different possibilities for action to alleviate the current and future problems, such as increasing the number of kilometres to be covered, reversing the route or breaking the load, including a possible direct route, without going through Zaragoza, which would allow the connection with Pau-Canfranc, estimating the economic investment and the time schedule of these actions. According to the details in the specifications, three options are contemplated.

The “ zero ” or minimum alternative would consist of identifying or implementing a loading/unloading and/or transshipment facility for goods in the Zaragoza area with the aim of enabling the continuity of international traffic coming down from Canfranc via the existing Iberian gauge network to Catalonia. The first option would be to create a space in the Tardienta area and, from there, traffic would continue towards Barcelona via the Iberian gauge on the Tardienta Lleida-Sant Vicenç de Calders line.

The second option, which is considered “ most ambitious ”, would consist of transporting goods directly in standard gauge without breaking the load from Canfranc to the Mediterranean Corridor. To do this, the feasibility of implementing standard gauge in the Zaragoza -San Vicenç de Calders route would have to be analysed . “The scope of this work will be the development of preliminary studies with the necessary and sufficient level of detail to allow decisions to be made on the most suitable alternatives for this freight rail route ,” the Ministry points out.

The study is part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)-funded project to reopen the Pau-Canfranc line. It is also in line with the “Merchandise 30” initiative, which seeks to promote rail freight transport as the backbone of multimodal logistics chains, to promote the decarbonisation and sustainability of transport.