Spain builds

Spain has one of the most advanced high-speed passenger networks in the world, but its domestic rail freight modal share languishes at a meager 4%. To address this imbalance, the Spanish Government launched Mercancías 30, a €6 billion investment programme designed to elevate rail freight’s modal share to 10% by 2030.

A pivotal step in this strategy occurred in May 2026, when ADIF and the Centro Español de Logística (CEL) signed a major two-year collaboration protocol. Administered directly through the Office of the Atlantic Corridor Commissioner, this landmark alliance establishes a direct framework for operators, shippers, and railway companies to design real-world, scalable intermodal solutions.

I sat down with José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz, the Government Commissioner for the Atlantic Corridor within the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to discuss concrete short-term strategies, the newly unveiled Tren Maestro standard, network bottlenecks, and why the next two years will be the most challenging — yet transformative — period for Spanish logistics in decades.

Turning Rigidity into Flexibility

Spain Builds: What are the tangible, short-term goals of this alliance to incentivise private shippers to choose the train?

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: Regarding our responsibilities at the Strategic Management Office, we have always been very clear about one thing: our job isn’t just to be controllers of what the administration does regarding the TEN-T network infrastructure — the ports, airports, roads, railways, urban nodes, and waterways. That is our main function, but unlike other corridors, we need to actively support and incentivise companies to transport by more sustainable means — in this case, the railway.

To do that, we have a very direct, B2B relationship with them, advising the companies directly. We also do two more things. We really like to hold talks or workshops directly with these businesses where, as I like to say, we take off our suits and ties and roll up our sleeves to work alongside them. Just yesterday, we presented a study that we conducted with another association [AECOC] to ask companies exactly what they need, how we can help, and what their demands are. Some very interesting conclusions came out of that.

Meanwhile, we’ve also created this working group [with the CEL]. The idea is to bring together the people, companies, and organisations that are directly involved, who believe in this and want to develop it, to run a practical trial on how to get onto the train. This won’t just lead to another situational analysis of demand and concerns; we want to take it straight to a practical case study, a pilot project, to guide them to the final stage where it becomes a reality.

Spain Builds: Historically, the logistics sector has perceived rail as rigid compared to road transport. How do you plan to change that perception through this collaboration?

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: Look, we aren’t going to change the idea that the railway is rigid, because at the end of the day, it is rigid. It runs on a track that you cannot change, whereas on the road, you can change a route quickly. But what we can do is turn that rigidity into flexibility in a different way.

Flexible how? Because it can run 24 hours a day. Because it can transport massive loads and volumes of material that the road simply cannot handle. We have never considered road transport an enemy; rather, it is a necessary ally for the last mile. But for large transport volumes, the railway is much more optimal.

Take the automotive industry right now. As you know, it has been growing a lot in Spain in recent weeks, driven by Chinese investments and new plants. They are going to generate far more transport. In the new economy, the transport of molecules — green hydrogen, ammonia — none of that can be transported by road; it will have to go by rail. The railway is experiencing a real rejuvenation in freight transport because of the specific needs of these sectors, and we have to exploit that momentum.

Look at another example: rail motorways (autopistas ferroviarias). Road transport is suffering from rising fuel costs and a severe shortage of drivers. Now the sector is facing the new ETS carbon emission payments, so road transport is going to hit serious trouble in the short term. The railway is there to help them, just as the road helps us with other things. Right now, rail is vital for transporting these semi-trailers over long distances, leaving the road to handle that last mile.

Spain was a country without rail motorways, but we are developing a plan between now and 2030. Even though European regulations state 2040, we want to have it ready sooner to develop this new transport model. It will increase our market share, assist the roads, and generate entirely new transport expectations.

Breaking the 4% Barrier

Spain Builds: Currently, Spain’s modal share for rail freight is around 4%. To reach the target of 10% by 2030, what are the most critical actions that must be completed in the next two or three years?

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: Let’s look at that. Spain actually used to have a 10% share, and much more, in the past. The last time we hit 10% was exactly nearly 30 years ago, in 1997. From then on, a decline began, which was purely the result of neglect in investments. So, the first thing I have to tell you is: how are we going to achieve this? By investing.

Investing in what? Well, we have to invest in new terminals. We have a programme in Spain called Mercancías 30 (Freight 30), backed by €6 billion. There are seven large, new logistics terminals in Spain to implement all these operations.

Secondly, the rail motorways. We have to review the entire network, adapt the loading gauges for these rail motorways, build bypasses, and create new rail access points to port authorities. Sixty percent of freight transport in Spain originates from or is destined for a port, so port access is vital for us.

Of course, to transport more, we also need wagons and locomotives. To address this, the government launched an aid programme for purchasing locomotives, buying wagons, providing access to private logistics terminals, and also for digitalisation across multiple areas. The government put forward nearly €500 million, and private entities contributed nearly €1 billion, mobilising a total of €1.5 billion. We are talking about nearly 2,000 new wagons — 1,972 to be exact — 89 locomotives, and the implementation of ERTMS on them. Without new material, you cannot increase modal share; we need it, and we will need more equipment in the coming years. We are looking at how to roll out more aid of this kind, which originally came out of the European NextGenerationEU funds.

We have also launched subsidies and incentives for railway companies so they can transport more and do it better. These are actually included in the Sustainable Mobility Law, so they are here to stay because they are enshrined in law.

So, there is a lot to handle: investment on one hand, subsidies on the other, incentivising, and getting close to the sector to know their needs. I am very optimistic. I don’t think we’ll just hit 10%; I think we will reach 11%. But I say this after analysing what companies are telling us. Once we get past 2026 and 2027 — which will be the two heaviest years of construction works in Spain — I think we will see a massive rebound. We are going to go through two very bad years, two and a bit years of disruptions, but after that, we will transition into a much better situation.

Border Interoperability & Energy Context

Spain Builds: With everything happening in the world right now, particularly in the Middle East, it feels like an opportune moment for this kind of structural transformation.

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: Yes, regarding the global situation, yesterday at a conference we were analysing the energy independence that countries need to have, and Spain is actually suffering the least from this because we have diversified our energy basket so much. We have a lot of sun, a lot of wind, and a massive amount of hydropower capacity developed back in the 50s and 60s. We have a mix where gas and oil influence us, but not decisively, which is why prices in Spain are noticeably lower. Our gas comes mainly from Algeria and the US, not conflict zones, and Spain has eight oil refineries while the UK has zero. We are simply in a more resilient position.

Spain Builds: How are you resolving the physical cross-border bottlenecks with France regarding track gauge and train length?

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: It’s an excellent question. First, I want to demystify one thing. Everyone always talks exclusively about the track gauge, but nobody ever talks about catenary voltage or signaling systems. We don’t have one problem at the border; we have three: track gauge, catenary voltage, and safety signaling.

Look at Portugal: we share the same track gauge and the same electrification, but we don’t share the same safety signaling system. Therefore, Spanish trains cannot enter Portugal, and Portuguese trains cannot enter Spain.

What about France? All three standards are different. The track gauge is different — standard UIC gauge versus our Iberian gauge — the catenary voltage in Spain is 3,000V and [in France] it’s 1,500V. If we look at signaling, Spain is the leading European country: we have more than 3,000 kilometres of ERTMS out of the 8,000 kilometres in all of Europe, whereas France only has about 700. The rest of their network uses KVB, and we use ASFA. Therefore, our trains are fundamentally non-interoperable across borders, and not just because of the tracks.

So, what are we working on? We have a plan to extend our entire network. Just like with the rail motorways, the European regulation says it should be done by 2040, but for us, that is too slow; we want to reach it by 2030. To that end, we have a development programme for 750-metre train length passing loops, where one train overtakes another on the open track without stopping.

To give you the figures in round numbers: we have 90 already completed, another 70 on main lines, 60 currently under construction being upgraded, and we have practically another 60 in the design phase. Our goal is to have the majority of this infrastructure ready by 2030.

Inland Nodes & The Algeciras Linchpin

Spain Builds: Inland terminals are vital logistics nodes for the Atlantic Corridor. How will investment in these terminals be coordinated with the needs of the global supply chain, particularly between seaports and inland ports?

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: I always like to give an introduction here because it’s important to look at both passenger and freight dynamics. The massive increase in passenger traffic over recent years has shown us that in Spain, we do not have a linear capacity problem; we have a nodal capacity problem. Because we have ERTMS on the tracks, we could theoretically run a train every 5 minutes. On a route like Madrid-Barcelona, you could have 12 frequencies per hour going out and 12 coming back.

But what is the bottleneck? You would need a station just for that line with 12 platforms. By the time you empty a train, clean it, board passengers, and get clearance, it takes nearly an hour, meaning you occupy a track for that entire time. To do that for Seville, Malaga, and everywhere else, you’d need a station with 60 tracks, which is impossible. That is what limits us.

Now, look at freight. Exactly the same thing happens. We didn’t have 750-metre terminals or adapted hubs. In Spain, logistics functions fall under the jurisdiction of the regional autonomous communities, so they must handle the regional planning and build according to their economic needs. However, the central government can step in to build the macro-infrastructure, which is what we outlined in the Mercancías 30 programme: the 7 major strategic locations that will serve as hubs for this transport network.

To give you an update on those seven: Barcelona-La Llagosta, Valencia-Fuente de San Luis, and Zaragoza-Plaza are completed and operational. Jundiz is completed and out to tender for a new operator, Valladolid is completed and looking for an operator, and Madrid-Vicálvaro is completed and operational. Only Sevilla-La Negrilla is left in the design phase. So, before the year concludes, we will have 6 out of 7 major hubs functioning.

We are also working to link this up with other public sectors, like Mercasa, which manages wholesale food markets supplying our cities. Thousands of trucks arrive at these markets daily. If we can divert that bulk inflow to the nearest rail terminal, we instantly shift massive freight onto rail for the primary supply leg. Of course, we won’t be able to do it for final capillary distribution within the city centre. But look at the opportunity: if we go to Galicia carrying fruit, where they don’t produce fruit but have fish, the train arrives with fruit and can return eastward fully loaded with fish.

Spain Builds: Speaking of capacity, what is the current situation in Algeciras? As the starting point for both the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors, it must require an incredible amount of work.

José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz: Well, we are struggling right now, because as you know, the DANA storm hit Andalusia incredibly hard. We had a severe structural breakdown there and the line is currently cut off. It will remain cut off for a while because we are simultaneously executing the engineering upgrades for the rail motorways.

The Algeciras-Madrid-Zaragoza rail motorway is the most vital freight axis Spain will develop, precisely because of the volumes. Last year, more than 600,000 semi-trailers crossed the Strait of Gibraltar via Algeciras, and that traffic is projected to reach 1 million trailers annually by 2030. It is absolutely staggering.

Look at the maths: if we shifted just 10% of those 600,000 trucks — 60,000 trailers — onto a rail motorway operating 250 days a year at 30 trucks per train, that equates to exactly 8 trains going up and 8 trains coming down every day. That is 240 trucks that don’t go up the highway and 240 trucks that don’t come down. That’s 480 heavy vehicles off the road every single day. Imagine the tons of CO2 saved per year. Imagine the pressure taken off the driver shortage. It is a total transport paradigm shift.

So, we are working as fast as possible to get it ready. Algeciras is not just Spain’s largest port by tonnage; it is the gateway to North Africa, supplying essential products to Spain and the rest of Europe. We have to resolve it.