The container traffic by train at the Port of Valencia has grown by 10.24%

Container traffic by train at the Port of Valencia has grown more than 10% in the first eleven months of the year. This is a sign of the commitment the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) is making to enhance railway connectivity and increase the share of goods that arrive at or depart from the Valencian facility by rail. Therefore, according to the Bulletin, during this period, 216,965 containers have been moved by rail, 10.24% more than the previous year, while the total of goods transported by train has been 2,851,377, with an increase of 5.1%.

This translates to more than 4,200 trains passing through the Port of Valencia between January and November this year, reflected in a weekly average of more than 87 units compared to 77 trains per week in 2021. Each week, there are more trains, longer trains, with more wagons, carrying more goods and containers. The average length this year is 494 meters, 4.5% more than the previous year, and the number of wagons has exceeded 80,000, compared to 76,000 in 2021.

The APV’s goal for the coming years is to continue increasing the use of trains in the traffic of goods coming in and out of Valencia port, hence the importance of undertaking the necessary actions to adapt railway accessibility. Therefore, the APV is investing to take advantage of the synergy between maritime and railway transport to enhance competitiveness and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.

Specifically, around 240 million euros in investments are planned to favor accessibility and improve the railway network of Valencia port. These actions are intended for remodeling the railway network at the Port of Valencia, the electrification of the tracks, the adaptation of the network to the European width, railway access to the Port of Sagunto, and the improvement of the Valencia-Teruel-Zaragoza line, among others.

Key infrastructures such as the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor are being developed, which is essential to favor the work of exporting companies from Aragon but also to bring the markets of Navarre, La Rioja, and the Basque Country closer to the Port of Valencia. The APV is also working with ADIF to promote the first railway highway that links the port area with Madrid.

Shipping companies commitment

It is also worth noting the effort and commitment of the companies that operate in Valencia port. In this regard, MSC has launched a railway service dedicated exclusively to reefer (refrigerated) transportation between Valencia and Zaragoza. On the other hand, the French shipping company CMA CGM has a new railway service between the Valencian facility and Zaragoza.

Likewise, CSP Iberian Rail has added a new link with Lisbon/Leixões, the first to cross the peninsula coast to coast, which deepens its strategy of becoming a global intermodal logistics operator. The services it offers with Madrid, Zaragoza or Vitoria should add to this. In fact, in the Valencian facility, a dozen different railway companies operate that link with the main corridors of Spain: Central, Mediterranean, and Cantabrian.