• The Council of Ministers approves the tendering of the contract, which includes the design of an Intermodal Goods Facility, with a container yard and a vehicle yard
• The project, which will take 11 months to complete, is associated with the decarbonisation plan and the fight against climate change
• It is part of the València Port Authority’s  strategy for rail traffic, with investments of more than 240 million euros

 At its meeting  the Council of Ministers authorised, at the proposal of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), the tendering of a contract for the construction of the inner rail network of the Port of Sagunto , with an estimated investment of 17.5 million euros and a completion period of 11 months.

The project, which will be financed with European CEF funds, includes the design of an Intermodal Goods Facility, with a yard for containers and another for vehicles:

– The Container Beach will be located, in part, on unpaved landfill area and will have a useful length of 750 m. in length, arranged in the South – North direction, respecting the existing ditch and enabling the future widening of the access road to the southern area of the Port of Sagunto.

– In order to carry out the design of the Vehicle Beach, different variants have been studied, taking into account that they must be capable of accommodating trains of 750 m in length and have a service road to the terminal that also connects the beach with the quay. 

Characteristics of the action

In order to carry out these works, a series of necessary actions are contemplated and foreseen in the tender approved today by the Government:

✓ Track superstructure. The type of track used allows vehicular traffic in mixed gauge, which enables circulation in International gauge and Iberian gauge.

Roads and urban development, with the aim of providing road access to the ✓ Vehicle Track Beach and the adaptation of the existing roads to the new projected situation. Vehicular roads are planned around the perimeter of the trackside for the loading and unloading of vehicles on parked trains, only in the South 2 Vehicle Terminal. Another road would connect this terminal with the docking area of the quay.

✓ Pavements, bituminous mix paving for the roads of the Vehicle Terminal and the adaptation to the new situation of the existing roads that are affected.

Non-railway installations. The installations of lighting and CCTV cameras, etc., are defined for the access branches and track shoulders.

✓ Safety and communications installations. The projected tracks are equipped with safety, communications and signalling installations. The project contemplates the manual mechanical movement of these and the civil works that will make possible, in a later phase (Phase 1), the installation associated with the future motorised drives of the turnouts. In a later phase (Phase 2), the proposed installation and deployment of the elements associated with track signalling and remote control of the drives by means of an Electronic Interlocking System (ENCE) can be carried out.

✓ The crossings of the railway tracks with the existing roads in the port are at the same level, so it is necessary to have special intersections. For this reason, light and acoustic barriers will be installed at the junction with the South Quay Access Road.

✓       With regard to the communication and connection of the field or track elements, the personnel responsible for the Communications Network of the Port of Sagunto will be in charge of connecting the equipment installed within the project with each of the specific networks (CCTV, RTU-Special Intersections) to carry out its commissioning and integration into the existing systems and, therefore, enable the supervision, control and management of this equipment. The entry and exit control points of the site are carried out by means of an automated system.

✓ Services concerned. A field review of the affected area is carried out, including the roads, gas pipes, telephone lines, electricity lines, supply networks, drainage, canals and irrigation ditches, etc., as well as their adaptation and replacement of those affected.

✓ Health and Safety. Establishes the provisions regarding the prevention of risks of accidents and occupational diseases during the construction of this work, as well as those arising from the repair, conservation and maintenance work and the mandatory health and welfare facilities for workers.

✓ Environmental integration. The project includes a study on the management of Construction and Demolition Waste. 

Decarbonisation plan

This project is part of the strategy of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) in terms of rail traffic, which includes investments of more than 240 million euros and is associated with the plan to decarbonise the activity and fight against climate change. In this sense, the promotion of rail transport is key to achieving an emissions-neutral precinct – 20 years ahead of the European Green Pact – an undeniable goal for Valenciaport.

The objective of this strategy in the short term is to continue to increase the use of the train in freight traffic arriving and departing from Valenciaport, hence the importance of undertaking the necessary actions to adapt rail accessibility. In this sense, investments are being made, such as this one in the Port of Sagunto, to take advantage of the synergy between maritime and rail transport, with the aim of favouring competitiveness and contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions.