An investment of 50 million euros in the railway line at the Port of Valencia is a major support for Aragon Logistics Platform

The Port of Valencia announced a 50 million euro investment to improve the Zaragoza – Teruel – Sagunto railway line. This budget will be included in the Valencia Port Authority investment plan. The announcement was made during the visit to Valencia by the President of Aragon, Javier Lambán. The 50 million Euros are in addition to the amounts approved previously for improvements to the sidings for goods (13 million recently), and the investment assigned to the rail access to the Port of Sagunto and Parc Sagunt (31 million euros), all charged to the Valencia Port Authority.
“The investment by the Port of Valencia in the railway line is a boost for the Aragon Logistics Platform” claimed Javier Lambán, “a way of joining two territories with a lot of trade and high specific weight in logistics, connecting us to the Cantabrian Corridor, covering an area of influence accounting for 33.4% of the GDP”. Ximo Puig did not hesitate to qualify the fact that it was “not reasonable that the third and fourth main cities in Spain were NOT currently connected”, and applauded this action that will result in rail communications between Zaragoza – Sagunto – Valencia. Javier Lambán also announced that Teruel will be hosting a summit to boost the Cantabrian – Mediterranean Corridor, to which the affected Communities will be invited. He ensured that any action such as that announced today is the “story of a Federal Spain in network, and NOT on a radial basis as at present”. The Sagunto – Teruel – Zaragoza railway is a direct rail link with the north of the peninsula from the Mediterranean, which is sure to play a leading role in the context of action from the Mediterranean Corridor, as a branch thereof. It is the link of two territories with a lot of trade and with an enormous specific weight and logistics potential, which will contribute to overcoming the difficulties encountered through the third and fourth main cities in Spain not having suitable rail connections. Although the problems with the current railway have not been resolved, minimum conditions of safety and reliability required by goods operators are guaranteed.
This initiative will also indirectly lead to an improvement in services for passengers whose journey may be reduced by nearly one hour to cover the 140 kilometres that currently takes five hours. The improvements in these infrastructures are indispensable and beneficial for both Communities, since they favour competitiveness as shown from many studies conducted by different business associations and confederations in both regions. The benefits of the improvements on the line are NOT only economic, but also environmental. NOT using the railway line involves 364, 485 kilometres more distance travelled per year, 87.5% more CO2 emissions, and an additional cost of 1.66 million euros in fuel, than if the same traffic had travelled through the rail Corridor.
Progress in logistics between Communities
Aragon is trying to improve its interconnection capacity and logistics efficiency in order to speed up the flow of goods and bring in more companies. At each meeting between the President of Aragon and the presidents of the neighbouring regions, progress in logistics agreements are being made, improvements in communications or the implementation of collaboration agreements in different subjects such as health care and education. The first meeting was held with the President of Navarra, Uxue Barkos (3/10/2015) reaching an agreement to boost the Noain maritime terminal by introducing refrigerated containers and increasing weekly connections from two to five per week between Pamplona – Zaragoza – Barcelona. The second meeting was held with the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont (22/2/2016) and the managers of Barcelona Port, with whom an agreement was signed to build and finance twelve railway sidings, covering 750 metres on the Barcelona – Zaragoza line. The third leg of the project is to study an improvement on the interconnection between Valencia and Sagunto, at the meeting held with the President Ximo Puig and the President of the Port Authority, Aurelio Martinez, since this will be the last link to connect Zaragoza and Valencia, and to plan connections right through to Cantabria. The progress made in logistics and communications will undoubtedly lead to an improvement in the centrality of Aragon Logistics with Plaza, the Zaragoza Maritime Terminal and all the platforms.