Seat Begins Rail Transport Between Martorell and Zona Franca
MARTORELL, SPAIN – June 4, 2009: Today the rail service for spare parts shipment between SEAT facilities at Martorell and the Zona Franca started up. The shipment capacity of approximately one million cubic metres of spare parts per year means that some 32,000 trips by heavy vehicles will be taken off the metropolitan road network. This new service is an addition to the already-existing rail transport system running between SEAT’s Martorell facility and the port of Barcelona, which was started up at the beginning of 2008 by the Catalan government’s Department of Territorial Policy and Public Works together with SEAT.
Spare parts transport will be managed by the rail operator, Cargometro. The distribution of stakeholdings in this newly-created company is 51% for Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), 25% for Renfe Operadora, and 24% for the privately-owned railway company Comsa Rail Transport (CRT).
The service starts off at half-capacity pending the construction of new infrastructure both in Martorell and the Zona Franca, which will be ready early in 2010. In the meantime, one of the two train units envisaged can already run, once temporary access to the Zona Franca, contingent on work being done on Line 9 of the metro service, has been provided.
Service features
Sustainable mobility
The new service is a response to the
increasing demand for a sustainable transport system for SEAT automobile
spare parts between its facilities in the Zona Franca and Martorell, since
it entails a substantial reduction – some 32,000 road trips less per
year - in heavy vehicle traffic. It will also improve road safety as well
as reduce the environmental impact of gas emissions.
If the effects of the other rail service transporting SEAT vehicles between its Martorell facility and the port of Barcelona are added those of the new service, then the total reduction in heavy vehicle road trips totals 57,000.
New infrastructure at facilities
The implementation project
for this new specific service is possible thanks to the use of the
currently-existing goods rail branch line belonging to Adif. The total
distance covered is some 40 kms. The new service entails the construction
of infrastructure to adapt the current tracks to new use. Certain work
pending will be finalized next year – more specifically:
Inside the SEAT plant at Martorell, work to be done on extending the current track as well as the construction and covering of new unloading tracks, plus the building of a new shunting area.
At SEAT’s Zona Franca facility a temporary rail access track has already been built; adaptation and covering of the existing Adif tracks for goods loading and unloading is still pending.
Investment totalling 8.6 million euros
The infrastructure
work which will take the rail service to 100% capacity entails a cost of
4.8 million euros; investment in rolling stock will run to a further 3.8
million euros, bringing the total amount to 8.6 million euros. The
Department of Territorial Policy and Public Works (DPTOP), through the
publicly-owned company FGC, has the task of implementing and financing the
projects and the necessary infrastructure work, as well as acquiring
specific rolling stock for the transport of automobile spare parts.
For its part, SEAT has taken on board the cost of the rail transport entrusted to Cargometro.