Group of experts that have been discussed on the Shaft 16 in Malaga THE WORLD
The Círculo Mercantil of Malaga has held a conference on the Shaft 16, railway section central with output trans, a strategic project of huge significance to Spain and more specifically in Andalusia and Malaga, as for large international ports is indispensable for a railway connection of high capacity. The meeting has also served to present in the city, the working group organised to advance this vital infrastructure and to figure among the priorities of Spain and the European Union, formed by professionals, institutions, and interests of the whole of Spain (Extremadura, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Andalusia…), between which is located in Malaga the Circle Mercantile.
The rapporteurs to explain the importance of this infrastructure in the hall of the Chamber of Commerce of Malaga have been the professor of the University Carlos III Carlos Ramon Fernandez Liesa and the expert of the Council of Chambers of Commerce of Aragon Diego Artigot Noguer, upon presentation and introduction of the subject of the president of the circulo Mercantil de Málaga, Federico Terrón.
Crossing the central Pyrenees is a project that consists of joining the Spanish railway network to the european one through a corridor of high performance that crosses the central Pyrenees via a low tunnel height. The Shaft 16 is a vital project for the improvement of connections between Spain and the rest of the European Union, and that in spite of being multi-modal (freight, people, vehicles, digital…) would be highly beneficial for companies from the logistics point of view. It is a central corridor priority, a high capacity and great performance, that starting from the ports of Sines (Portugal) and Algeciras through the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (resulting in benefit also, ports like Malaga) and the Pyrenees by means of a tunnel, to connect to Paris and from there to the rest of Europe, distributing goods from Asia, Africa and America to the rest of the EU.
Spain is a key project because it would enhance its leading position in the routes of global air navigation and maritime. Areas of production and consumption, Madrid, Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León and Extremadura would be greatly benefited. It is compatible with and complementary to the dry ports, airports, and even to other rail corridors such as the mediterranean or the atlantic, and would help to revitalize the ‘Spain empty’, castile, Aragon, Madrid, spain. Would you do a fundamental work of geo-strategic as the backbone and ‘reequilibrador’. Get a new outlet through the center of the Pyrenees is essential for reasons of an economic, logistical, social, environmental, cultural and geopolitical.
In a country with a port as important as Algeciras, Málaga, Castellón, Valencia, Barcelona… it is essential to have a rail corridor with a major commitment to goods that connect with Europe. The traffic of goods by rail in Spain is currently very low, 4%, compared with the average of 15% in Europe. This makes us much less competitive than the rest of countries, is a very big disadvantage for our industry. This would give sense to the projects in port and logistics of Andalusia and Malaga in our particular case. The ports of Sines and Algeciras, for example, are located in the 50 major maritime routes of the world.
The speakers of this afternoon have agreed on the need to fight for to accelerate the Shaft 16 and to turn it into a matter of state in Europe, since that is fundamental to the economic and social development of our territories and for the generation of GDP in Europe.
it’s Also completely viable, as there are studies that demonstrate that the corridor would have sufficient traffic to be profitable. In Spain 75% of all the shaft is already done. Lack the low tunnel height of just over 41 miles (crossing central) that connects Spain with France. The most recent evaluations spoke of a total investment of only 9,000 or 10,000 million euros, including the tunnel. Your cost is reduced because it uses the old network today is under-utilised as a result of the new high-speed lines.
there is Currently a saturation extreme of both in the traffic on the road and on the railway between Spain and France. The movement of goods is subject to the demand of passenger traffic, so that any sudden rise of this makes it difficult to access the markets. The corridor width for international and high-capacity allows for output without stop the goods that traverse the Pyrenees.
The Shaft 16 would eliminate completely the historical bottleneck that forms in the Pyrenees. The economic boost that would it is key to promote employment and technological development. Coheres and enriches the territories through which it passes, creating a corridor of industrial activities and of services from north to south, with logistics platforms staggered to the regional development.
in Addition to the entry into Europe of the countries of the east, the new central european left is more distant from, the area west and south of Europe is geographically more distant from the center of Europe. So that even exacerbates the reduced ability to compete in equality of conditions. This railway axis will serve as a decisive way to mitigate that decentralization and to improve the competitiveness of Spanish with respect to countries like Italy that have a cross-border connections to be much higher.
Until 2011 the Shaft 16 was a priority issue for Europe. But in that year there was a review, and postponed its completion and commissioning until at least 2030. Now the european funds coming to Spain are for the corridor and the atlantic south. But there are projects exclusive. In fact strategically the Axis 16 is much more important than the rest.
there is Currently a draft proposal is pending to be discussed at the European Council and the European Parliament, but as written it is very difficult for the Shaft 16 to be funded by Europe for this next period 2021-2027.
last June 6, 2018 the European Commission presented the new draft document on runners. The total budget for the whole of Europe is 30.615 million euros (for the period 2021-2027). 11.285 are for cohesion countries, among which is not Spain. 6,500 million to disabled military. And the available credit you would have access in Spain along with other countries of Europe is 12,800 million euros in total.
in Addition from the environmental point of view, the Shaft 16 is a project very beneficial. Of the 240 million tonnes of cargos that pass through annually in the Pyrenees, including maritime traffic by rail represents only 2%.
Crossing the Central Pyrenees by a railway tunnel of low height will allow the decongestion of activities and traffic in large towns and metropolitan areas, rebalancing the flows and push forward the logistics platforms and dry ports. And all this with the minimum impact on the environment. The low tunnel height leaves intact the landscape, preserving nature, and implies an annual saving of thousands of tons of emitted Co2. The construction of the shaft would also contribute to achieving the objectives set in the transport white paper, which intended that the 30% of the goods transport in Europe is carried out by alternative means to road in 2030 and this share is 50% in 2050.
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