A study promoted by the Platform 'Mercaderies per l'Interior' indicates that the railway section between Tarragona and Sant Vicenç de Calders will suffer a "collapse" with the implementation of the Mediterranean Corridor, scheduled for 2027. The engineer responsible for the report, Efraín Larrea, describes the current situation as "pre-collapse" and "saturation," anticipating "tension" between passenger and freight transport once the third rail is added.

The report also warns that companies in the area could "lose competitiveness" and even consider leaving Tarragona due to difficulties in receiving raw materials and dispatching goods. In 2023, the line was already operating at 85% of its capacity, with 170 trains daily for passengers and freight.

Mcrit, the company behind the study, estimates that currently, freight rail transport in Tarragona accounts for between 3% and 4%, a figure that could rise to 10% by 2030 with the third rail operational. With the Mediterranean Corridor, an increase to 251 daily trains on this section is projected, reaching 126% of the network's planned occupancy.

As an alternative to avoid saturation, 'Mercaderies per l'Interior' proposes diverting freight trains to a line connecting the Vila-seca junction with Valls, and subsequently using the high-speed track from Camp de Tarragona to Roda de Berà. The study deems this option "profitable," with an investment return in five years, and warns that without this diversion, the network will "collapse."

Larrea anticipates an increase in delays, train cancellations, and the need to transport passengers by road. He also points out that a lack of guarantees for freight rail transport could lead companies to revert to using trucks, making it difficult to persuade them back to rail once trust is lost.