Valenciaport publishes facts to support development of Valencia-Madrid EU Ten-T transport corridor

Valencia, Spain (Ports Europe) September 24, 2018 - Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia (APV - Valenciaport, Port Authority of Valencia) has published a list to ten reasons why the Valencia-Madrid section of the Mediterranean Ten-T corridor should be maintained and developed. Valenciaport published: Imbalance between the Atlantic and Mediterranean sides, despite the population and GDP indicators, basic elements that should be taken into account for this proposal. Prior to the proposed reform of the TEN-T corridors of Spain, the railway network had about 4,600 kilometers, highlighting the Atlantic Corridor with 2,026 km, the Mediterranean coastal section (passing through Valencia) with 1,412 km and the stretch Central Mediterranean (Madrid) with 1,164 km. With the proposed reform of 2018, the Atlantic Corridor is extended to 3,356 km, while the Mediterranean Corridor (between the two sections) is not extended even a single kilometer. This marginalization is more evident in the Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon corridor. The Valencia-Madrid section (La Encina-Alcázar de San Juan) exceeds other proposed sections included and accepted by the Commission in terms of impact, both on GDP and population. This section presents the highest concentration of GDP in Spain within a radius of 400 km. If we link this section with the Madrid-Lisbon-Sines alignment included in the Atlantic Corridor, the population and the potential of the GDP sky rockets with reference to the other sections. The Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon axis concentrates more than 40% of the container port traffic of the Iberian Peninsula. If we analyze port traffic, the traffic associated with this alignment involves more than 40% of the total container traffic in the Iberian Peninsula, uniting the main port areas both in the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coast of the Peninsula. The Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon axis is the natural and shortest connection between the Mediterranean and Atlantic facades of the Peninsula. The Valenica-Madrid-Lisbon connection is the natural east-west axis that crosses the Iberian Peninsula, uniting the Western Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean and three of the most active economic zones of southern Europe. It also offers an improvement of the connectivity of Portugal with the Mediterranean area. The Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon axis concentrates 29.03% of the GDP of the Iberian Peninsula, and contributes, among others, to the decarbonisation objectives of transport. The European added value of including this section within the Corridor plan is demonstrated through its contribution to the objectives of the TEN-T network for Spain and Portugal, and in particular for its potential collaboration with the policy of decarbonisation of transport, be able to take advantage of the short sea shipping services offered by the Port of Valencia. The Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon axis is of vital geostrategic importance for the EU. In geostrategic terms, the Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon axis is of utmost importance as an alternative option to the Strait of Gibraltar, the main link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The need for control of this link is recognized in terms of defense. The Valencia-Madrid section is the one that currently supports the largest freight rail traffic in the Iberian Peninsula. The rail freight corridor between Valencia and Madrid is already the busiest in the entire Iberian Peninsula and around 150,000 TEUs circulate annually. Its inclusion entails recognizing this reality and its potential to become the main protagonist in the development of the TEN-T Network in the Peninsula. The Port of Valencia is the first Container Port of the Iberian Peninsula, the 5th of Europe, and it is inconsistent to leave it marginalized in the extension of the proposed Corridors. The Port of Valencia is the first container port of the Iberian Peninsula (and the fifth in Europe) and, currently, is renewing its railway infrastructure to adapt it to the standards of the Basic TEN-T Network and connect with the rest of the Network before 2030. The coherence of the network requires its direct connection with the main logistics nodes of the Corridor map, as is the case of Madrid. The Valencia-Madrid section is already considered as part of the Basic Network of the Transeuropa Transport Network (TEN-T). In the study of the Mediterranean Corridor of December 2014, this section was already included as a proposal to be included to connect both branches of the Mediterranean Corridor. The investments needed to boost the Valencia-Madrid-Lisbon axis are minimal. To make possible the connection of goods between Valencia and Madrid in UIC gauge (in the future) it would only be necessary to include the Encina-Alcázar de San Juan sector (209 km), since the rest of the alignment is included in one of the two stretches of the corridor. Not including it implies generating a "missing link" in terms of European priority for this section. The Mediterranean Corridor is the main east-west axis in the TEN-T Network south of the Alps. It runs between the south-western Mediterranean region of Spain and the Ukrainian border with Hungary, following the coastlines of Spain and France and crossing the Alps towards the east through Italy, Slovenia and Croatia and continuing through Hungary up to its eastern border with Ukraine. Source: Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved. 2018.

Valenciaport publishes facts to support development of Valencia-Madrid EU Ten-T transport corridor

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Valenciaport publishes facts to support development of Valencia-Madrid EU Ten-T transport corridor

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