Sticks in the wheels: The Mediterranean Corridor in Spain, or when investment does not prioritize meeting demand

Bastons a les rodes: el Corredor Mediterrani a Espanya, o quan la inversió no prioritza satisfer la demanda

Abstract

MOTIVATION:

Economic rationality dictates that investment in the supply of transport should be prioritized where there is demand, but the policies followed by Spanish governments over the past decades do not seem to respond to this logic. The case of the Mediterranean Corridor as it passes through Spain is paradigmatic. The coastal axis from the Pyrenees to Algeciras is the origin or destination of 62% of long-distance traffic in Spain (that is, for distances of 300 km or more, which are essentially those for which the railway can be a means of transport competitive). For this reason, the FERRMED association estimates that investments in the Mediterranean Corridor would contribute 94% of the total economic benefits that European corridors would bring to Spain. It therefore seems that these investments should have a higher priority than others comparable to regions with less demand for transport such as those in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. This, however, is not what is happening, and the Mediterranean Corridor is being harmed not only by very long delays but also by a comparatively lower "low-cost" design than is being applied to regions with much less demand in the interior of the Peninsula. By now we can already predict that this design, as it is conceived, will not provide the benefits that would justify this colossal pan-European investment.

GOAL:

The aim of this work is to analyze the recent history and design of the Mediterranean Corridor as it passes through Spain.

It combines data from various sources, among which it is worth highlighting two very recent studies in which the author of this communication (Eduard Gracia) took part, specifically:

Gracia, Eduard (2022): Sticks on wheels: the Mediterranean Corridor and the logic of power in Spain. Vincle Foundation ((Bastons-a-les-rodes-al-Corredor-Mediterrani-Eduard-Gracia-Fundacio-Vincle.pdf (fundaciovincle.com))

FERRMED (2023): Study of traffic and modal shift optimization in the EU (llibre FERRMED-separata.indd) (Eduard Gracia is responsible for the economic analysis section of this study).

MAIN RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:

1. The design of the European railway corridors as they pass through Spain does not seem to respond to the basic economic logic according to which it is necessary to invest in additional transport supply as a priority where there is demand, given that the axes with the most traffic (basically on the Mediterranean coast ) rather more limited technical solutions are being implemented than on lines with much less traffic demand.

2. Therefore, and beyond the worrying delays in its implementation, the design of the Mediterranean corridor as currently planned cannot offer the capacity and services necessary to achieve the objectives that justify this colossal work - in particularly the European objective of transporting by rail/combined transport 30% of the goods that travel by land (today in Spain it is 5%) towards the year 2030.

Keywords:

Sustainability and the Environment
Sustainable transport
Transport infrastructure

How to cite

. Eduard, Sticks in the wheels: The Mediterranean Corridor in Spain, or when investment does not prioritize meeting demand, Abstracts_4rceec (2024). 99 URL https://www.scipedia.com/public/Eduard_2024b

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