The Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, announced this Tuesday that the investment responds to the «real demand» from companies for railway services. The Executive aims for rail to handle 10% of freight in Catalunya by 2030.
The largest investment, 72 million euros, will go to the Lleida station, which is in a more advanced project phase. The Penedès terminal will receive 30 million in its first phase, while those in Empordà-Vilamalla and Ebre will require 16.2 million and 7 million respectively.
These new infrastructures are part of the Catalan railway terminal strategy, which plans for a network of seven stations. Three are already operational (Port of Barcelona, Port of Tarragona, and La Llagosta), and the four projected ones will be added. The Portbou station is also considered a support terminal.
Paneque highlighted the need for «more trains» to improve environmental sustainability and the competitiveness of the Catalan economy, pointing to the potential of the rail highway to alleviate the «driver shortage».
The planning has considered the future Transversal Railway Axis. Demand for the new terminals comes from sectors such as animal feed, grain, and agri-food in Lleida; the wine sector, cars, and rail highway in Penedès; meat, fresh produce, and cars in Empordà; and wood and agri-food in Ebre.
The announcement comes amid a decline in rail freight transport in Catalunya, which accounted for only 3% of total land transport last year, the lowest level since 2006. The volume of tonne-kilometres has nearly halved since 2020.
