James BryceA NEW rail terminal could see a dramatic rise in the amount of freight passing through Andalucia.
The one billion euro scheme – set to be unveiled at Algeciras in May – is expected to lead to an extra 3.6 million containers being processed at the port.
The construction will allow access to 750m long freight trains and is part of a new European transport network.
Officials claim the development is crucial in order for the port to remain competitive with rival docks including Tangiers and Valencia.
The project – part of the so-called Mediterranean Corridor – will see Algeciras being linked up to other ports in Spain in a huge multi-billion euro investment, taking a line up the coast via Malaga and Almeria.
Anyone who thinks that freight rail lines are’nt of the utmost importance to Spain (or any other country come to that)simply is’nt living in the real world.
Before the Spanish squandered money on high speed passenger lines, it is freight lines they should have been building first.
As it is they sold their future on the deisel engine and boy are they paying the price now.
This whole issue shows what a sick joke the whole EC experiment has been.
An integrated high speed freight line policy should have been developed long ago for the whole of the EC but the motor lobby has all EC governments in their pocket.
To see how it should be done is the massive rail terminal in northeern Germany that handles thousands of containers carrying Germany’s export/imports by trains every day. It is totally automated via computer control. I saw this programme on French TV and once again was impressed with how the Germans problem solve at the design stage – no wonder Germany is the power house of Europe – engineering in all it’s many fields is the cornerstone of their economy. Compared to the UK where sociopathic spivs in expensive suits live of the fat of the land.