The Spanish Basque Countries will soon be home to Spain's first standard gauge (1435 mm) node on the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor. At Vitoria-Gasteiz, the first phase of transforming the Júndiz multimodal platform to make it interoperable has begun.
The first phase, which is expected to be completed before the second quarter of 2025, will involve an investment of €37 million (including VAT) to create a 740-metre-long, mixed-gauge line with a capacity of 4 trains per day and 50,000 UTIs (containers) per year. In addition, the technological platform "SIMPLE", developed by the Ministry of Transport, will be able to offer rail services with digitalized tracking.
"We want to move more goods by rail, where it is more economically and environmentally efficient than by road. This is a comprehensive approach to sustainability," said Oscar Puente, Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The work on the Júndiz Intermodal Terminal will make it an interoperable, competitive, high-capacity, and digitalized facility. It will be able to handle standard gauge and Iberian gauge trains by implementing mixed gauge (third rail) in its facilities. In addition, it will be prepared for the arrival of standard gauge trains at both ends of the terminal.
The technical facility will have four tracks - two Iberian and two mixed gauges. It will be able to receive and dispatch 740 m trains. Track, electrification, safety, and communication installations are currently under construction. In a subsequent project, the four tracks will be converted to mixed gauge and, if required, increased to a total of six.
The intermodal terminal will have three loading and unloading tracks, two of them with a mixed gauge of 600 m and one for trains with a gauge of 460 m. In a later phase, the capacity of the facility will be increased to a total of four mixed gauge loading and unloading tracks.
