After two successful editions of Rail Day, the Port of Tarragona wanted to continue generating synergies between the main players in the port community with a third edition, under the slogan “Tarragona, strategic logistics hub of the Ten-T”.
The event, held in person at the Serrallo Theatre in Tarragona on Thursday 5 May, revolved around two main themes: railway infrastructures and railway services.
After the welcome speech by the president of the port, Josep Maria Cruset, the two blocks of the programme began. Professionals from the sector such as Genoveva Climent, commercial director of the Port of Tarragona, and Juan Manuel Martínez, vice-president of the Spanish Transport Association, among others, gave talks to those attending the event on the future of the sector and the current situation of the rail market.
In addition to 2 large round tables where the main topics of the event were discussed, giving attendees the opportunity to listen to the different points of view of the various professionals.
What is Rail Day?
Rail Day is a forum created by the Port of Tarragona in collaboration with El Mercantil and Via Libre. It arises from the industry’s focus on intermodal transport services and the opportunity to create a forum where port communities, suppliers and service companies can discover business opportunities for more efficient transport chains.
In 2021, the Port of Tarragona completed a transport volume of 31,332,877 tonnes, reflecting a clear commitment to optimising the rail logistics chain.
The aim is to increase rail and rail terminal traffic in the port environment as a means of expanding the hinterland and improving international connections.
Competitiveness of Spanish rail transport
AllRead attended the event to learn more about the concerns of railway operators in our country. There is unanimity that the railway structure is very deteriorated in some of the sections.
Spain is well below the European average in terms of the use of its rail network. We only have a 4.7% share of the European market. Portugal, for example, has around 14%.
«The problem of congestion in ports is real and affects us. In addition, we are exposed to external factors such as the recent carriers’ strike, which left the port of Valencia with 35 ships waiting to unload»
Enric Ticó, president and board member of CIMALSA
As Enric Ticó commented, reality shows us the need to connect the dry ports with the maritime ports with a quality rail network, in order to decongest them and avoid traffic jams.
Adif highlights its commitment to continue working side by side in a personalised way with the terminals to understand their needs and help promote rail transport.
AllRead’s contribution to improving rail transport
After the event, our team continues to work to contribute to the improvement of rail transport. As in our projects with Renfe and the Port of Barcelona, in which we collaborate to optimise railway operations and increase the total visibility of traceability in the supply chain.
We believe that the remodelling projects of the Spanish railway infrastructure cannot be separated from a generalised digitalisation of the sector. At AllRead, we believe it is essential to equip railway facilities with cutting-edge technology in order to optimise their operations and thus make them safer, more agile and more profitable.
