Renfe, Adif and the Port of Huelva sign a protocol to launch an Iberian gauge Railway Highway between Huelva and Madrid

Within the framework of SIL Barcelona

The objective of the protocol is to promote the efficient transport of goods by rail, by loading semi-trailers from the road onto the train, thus providing the Huelva-Madrid-Zaragoza Corridor, in conventional gauge, with maximum rail use.

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President of Renfe, Raül Blanco; the president of Adif, María Luisa Domínguez; and the president of the Port Authority of Huelva (APH) Manuel Alberto Santana, have signed at the International Logistics Show (SIL) that is being held in Barcelona, an action protocol for the implementation of a Railway Highway in Iberian gauge between Huelva and Madrid and its future extension until Zaragoza.

 

The objective of the protocol is to promote the efficient transport of goods by rail, by loading the train with semi-trailers from the road, thus providing the Huelva-Madrid-Zaragoza Corridor, in conventional gauge, for maximum railway use. Likewise, the aim is to contribute to generating economic activity for the exploitation of intermodal terminals in these origins/destinations and to promote logistics and railway activity with the maximum guarantees of safety and quality of service.

 

Promotion of efficient transportation of goods by rail

The signatory institutions of the protocol undertake to cooperate with each other, manage and invest in order to develop the effective functioning of the Railway Highway with all the necessary elements: capacity allocation in railway infrastructure (path), treatment at origin and destination cargo terminals and availability of specific rolling stock.

 

The protocol establishes that Adif will carry out actions related to clearances in tunnels, overpasses, bridges, stations and electrification elements to respond to the needs of the transport of semi-trailers (type P400) on “poche” type wagons, foreseen in the project.

 

Renfe GoodsFor its part, it will have specialized wagons for loading semi-trailers in Iberian gauge to carry out, initially, daily round-trip traffic between Huelva and Madrid. This service will be carried out using zero-emission electric trains, since they use traction energy from renewable sources.

 

The project requires loading terminals with tracks for train treatment, an area for parking semi-trailers and operational means for their transfer and loading/unloading of wagons. In this sense, The destination terminal would initially be Madrid Abroñigal, until finishing the works that Adif is executing in Madrid-Vicálvaro.

 

As for the terminal of origin, the Port of Huelva, it has specific railway facilities in which train operations and UTI loading/unloading can be carried out, in accordance with the needs of the operator, Renfe Mercancías, in this case.

 

The origins and destinations of this Highway, in Iberian gauge, would be the Port of Huelva and the Madrid-Abroñigal railway terminal, until the end of the Madrid-Vicálvaro works. Its extension is planned to Zaragoza

 

 

Advantages of Railway Highways

 

Railway Highways are rail freight transport services that transport semi-trailers using specialized wagons, in order to encourage intermodal transport to reduce congestion and environmental impact.

 

The corridor Huelva-Madrid-Zaragoza, records a high volume of road freight transport to or from the Port of Huelva, originating mainly from the Canary Islands and other destinations, as well as internal production in the province of Huelva, with the consequent environmental impacts, noise and risks on road safety. . An important part of this transportation comes from the Ro-Ro mode coming from the Sea Highways (Short Sea Shipping or short-distance maritime transport), which is likely to continue its journey by rail through the Railway Highway services.

 

With the launch of this Railway Highway, the aim is to increase the share of rail transport and its integration with other modes of transport, highlighting railway and port assets and offering quality infrastructure that responds to the needs of the sector. of transportation and logistics. This service will also mean significant savings, both in external costs and GHG emissions, promoting more sustainable, intelligent, competitive and safe mobility.

 

The Railway Highway service establishes a relationship between road and railway in terms of co-modality since both modes are related as client-supplier. Road companies have an alternative to provide semi-trailer transportation services to their clients who, on the other hand, need to reduce the environmental impact in their production process.

 

In this way, in addition to being advantageous for shippers, it is positive for traditional heavy road transport, by offering another possibility of carrying out their activity in the same format (the truck), exponentially expanding the volume of cargo to be transported. Railway Highways also contribute to alleviating the main problems faced by road transport companies.: lack of drivers, fuel price, safety, fleet maintenance, etc.

 

Spain already has experiences in standard gauge from Barcelona to northern Europe, in which Renfe Mercancías participates, but so far no Iberian gauge service has started.

 

The development of Autopistas Ferroviarias is part of the Sustainable, Safe and Connected Mobility Strategy, prepared by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) in a determined commitment to the modernization of the transport and logistics system.