Intermodal transport is fundamental to European connectivity and trade. This article focuses on two essential freight corridors in Spain, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, highlighting their differences and how these impact freight transport.
Currently, there are 11 Merchandise Corridors. Two run through Spain: the Atlantic Freight Rail Corridor and the Mediterranean Freight Rail Corridor.
Rail freight corridors in the EU: objectives and operation in international transport
The European Union aims to promote the connectivity of citizens and goods. In this context, Freight Corridors facilitate transportation across several countries. In Spain, the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors are vital for logistics and trade, but they have different characteristics that influence the transport of goods.
One of the main objectives of the EU is to promote the connectivity of citizens and goods within Europe. For goods, the Freight Corridors are active, defined as “all railway lines, including railway ferry lines, designated within the territory of the Member States or between the Member States and, where applicable, in third European countries. , linking two or more terminals along a main route and, where applicable, diversion routes and the sections connecting them, including railway infrastructure and its equipment and relevant railway services.
Differences in intermodal transport: Atlantic Corridor vs. Mediterranean Corridor
In conventional multimodal transport, workers load the goods into the train's wagons, which act as trailers. In both corridors, the process works the same: workers transship the goods from the trailers to the wagons and, upon reaching the destination, repeat the process, transferring the goods from the wagons back to the trailers. Thus, the wagons in both corridors are identical.
However, in intermodal transport, goods are loaded directly into swap bodies, containers, P400 or standard trailers, avoiding additional handling.
This detail within the Atlantic Corridor is essential since the limitation on the height of the tunnels prevents the passage of P400 or standard trailers over ordinary wagons. This restriction directly affects the type of intermodal transport that can be carried out in this corridor, limiting it to swap bodies and containers. At the same time, this limitation does not exist in the Mediterranean Corridor.
Sacytrans' adaptation to intermodal transport in the Atlantic corridor
Since 2017, Sacytrans has successfully adapted and implemented its intermodal transport operations in the Atlantic Corridor. Given the height restrictions, the company has chosen to use mobile boxes, which are suitable to overcome these limitations. This adaptation has allowed Sacytrans to offer efficient solutions to clients in various sectors, such as steel, paper and glass.
Integrating intermodal transport services or combined rail and road transport, maintaining the integrity of the merchandise without additional handling, facilitates loads to any place in Europe through said Atlantic corridor with Sacytrans services.
Offering via crucial routes such as Bayonne-Paris-Dourges and Bayonne-Champigneulles. Thus facilitating loads to any place in Europe and offering trucks equipped with coil holders.
