Badajoz, Spain, Oct. 2, 2024 (Lusa) - The ports of Sines, Setúbal and Lisbon "will benefit immensely" from the new Intermodal Rail Terminal in Badajoz, Spain, when it is connected to the International Southern Corridor under construction in Portugal, said the president of MEDWAY.
Carlos Vasconcelos, president of the Portuguese company that is part of the consortium that will operate this new railway terminal in Badajoz, which was inaugurated on Wednesday, explained to journalists the advantages of the infrastructure for Portugal.
The Portuguese ports of Lisbon, Setúbal and Sines "will benefit immensely from this infrastructure", which will “allow access to this market at much lower costs”, emphasised the president of the MEDWAY rail logistics company, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the terminal in Badajoz, Extremadura.
The infrastructure that is "now" going into operation "two steps" from the Caia border, in Elvas, in the Portuguese district of Portalegre, "has an extraordinary weight" in the role that those three Portuguese ports can play, when the International Southern Corridor is completed, up to that same border, he emphasised.
"It will extraordinarily shorten the distance" of freight transport, which "means significantly reducing the cost", he said.
So, with the railway line ready, including the link between Caia and Badajoz, the distance between the Port of Sines and this city in Spanish Extremadura will be reduced, he said: "Instead of being around 600 kilometres, it will be 300 or so kilometres".
"There's a significant reduction in distance and time and all this translates into lower costs," he emphasised.
This Portuguese company, which Carlos Vasconcelos said is "today the main private rail freight operator on the Iberian Peninsula", includes the Extremadura Avante Logística consortium that won the tender to operate three road-rail terminals in the Spanish Extremadura region.
In addition to the Badajoz terminal, the public-private consortium (with a 51% stake held by Extremadura Avante and 49% by MEDWAY) will operate the Navalmoral terminal, which is scheduled to start operations in December, and the Mérida terminal, which is scheduled to begin operations in March 2025.
"With a contract valued at €137.9 million and a maximum duration of 30 years, the concession was acquired through a public tender launched by the Junta (regional government) of Extremadura," MEDWAY explained in a statement.
Carlos Vasconcelos emphasised to journalists that this operation is included in the company's "expansion plan", which had "reduced activity" in this Spanish area, which has "enormous potential" but needed "good and efficient [intermodal railway] terminals".
"It's an export area, not only through the sea ports, but also by lorry, to the whole of Spain and Europe," he argued, noting that, in relation to Portugal, "a large part of exports" from Extremadura come "through the ports of Sines, Setúbal and Lisbon", And so "developing these infrastructures will make it possible to increase the volume of cargo to these ports," he continued, arguing that "long-distance rail transport is more competitive than road transport," reducing costs and CO2 emissions.
The agreement with the Junta de Extremadura involves maintaining a minimum of six trains per week (three inbound and three outbound) at each terminal for the first 10 years and a total of 28 trains in the subsequent period.
"With the concession of these three terminals, MEDWAY intends to boost Iberian traffic, with a special focus on connections to ports in Spain and Portugal, as well as increasing connections with Madrid and other regions," said the company.
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