Tarragona promotes intermodality

WATER TO IRON

CONNECTIONS • TARRAGONA HAS FOCUSED RECENTLY ON BUILDING ITS POSITION AS A BULK LIQUIDS HUB; ADDITIONAL TANK STORAGE WILL NOW ALLOW IT TO DEVELOP INTERMODAL SERVICES

The Port of Tarragona has defined a clear strategy for bulk liquid traffic: to become a regional hub for the Mediterranean. In recent years it has put a lot of effort into expanding its Chemicals Wharf, currently one of the fastest growing zones in the port, and to promoting its role as a deepwater port for the discharge and loading of chemical tankers.

But this strategy does not only involve the maritime sector of the port zone: it also aims to take advantage of the port’s natural position

THE IMPENDING EXTENSION OF THE EURO GAUGE

SERVICE WILL OPEN UP NEW POSSIBILITIES and its terrestrial infrastructures to expand its area of influence to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula and southern Europe. It aims to make Tarragona a major gateway for this type of cargo.

Tarragona is one of the main nodes in the EU’s TEN-T Network. It is a key node in the network at the point where the Mediterranean Corridor divides into two: one route that follows the coast until it reaches the south of Spain, and another that connects with the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. This centrality will allow the Port of Tarragona to become an important actor in the future development of the rail network.

That will leverage the added capacity brought to the Chemicals Wharf since the most recent expansion was completed in 2014, doubling its area from 18 to 36 ha. It is expected that tank storage capacity will also almost double to an eventual 1.5m m³.

The two terminals that currently operate on this dock have modern facilities for loading and unloading products to and from trucks. The dock also has a public rail terminal consisting of three 180-metre-long tracks. Bulk liquids are currently loaded and unloaded through a facility that connects the tanks directly to the tank wagons. This terminal is connected to the general rail network and can operate Iberian-gauge trains.

PROMOTING INTEMODALITY A key component in the Port of Tarragona’s rail-port intermodality concept is La Boella intermodal terminal, one of the most modern terminals in the whole country. Fitted with the international standard gauge track, this terminal is prepared to handle trains of up to 750 metres long, with the possibility of them entering with their main engine, thanks to the electrified access. It has four operating tracks (loading and unloading) and four tracks for the reception and dispatching of trains. In addition, it is able to receive hazardous cargoes and is well lit to allow operation at any time of the day or night.

This terminal is also connected to the general network and will be able to receive and dispatch train compositions from Europe once the international standard gauge has been installed in Tarragona, which is planned for completion in 2021.

Located adjacent to the container terminal on the Galicia Wharf, La Boella will also be able to increase the intermodal transport of liquids in bulk through the use of tank containers. Designed to handle all types of cargo, La Boella will also encourage the encourage the use of intermodal transport for inbound and outbound movements, stretching the port’s hinterland as far as Madrid.

The port’s strategy appears to be paying off: 2019 saw a significant increase in total freight throughput, with a number of records set. In liquids bulk products, there was particularly strong growth in the volume of crude oil, gasoline and propane handled. www.porttarragona.cat