The Government of Asturias and the Port Authority of Gijón have unveiled the 'Gijón-Zalia Atlantic RailPort Corridor 740' project in Brussels. This initiative seeks to integrate rail intermodality in the Gijón area and strengthen its connections.
The project is part of the new work plan for the Atlantic Corridor, which identifies the development of intermodality in the city and the enhancement of its rail connections as essential for reinforcing the port node and its relationship with the surrounding territory.
The presentation coincided with the participation of Asturias and the port authority in the Connecting Europe Days 2026 event, a major European forum on transport and mobility. During this event, the Government of Asturias advocated for accelerating investments planned for the development of the Atlantic Corridor.
In addition to Gijón Port, Asturias has also engaged in discussions related to the development of the maritime highway with Nantes-Saint-Nazaire. Meetings have been held with François Bausch, the European Coordinator for the Atlantic Corridor, and Gesine Meissner, the Coordinator for the European Maritime Space, to convey Asturias' priorities and advance their integration into community planning.
Project Overview
The Gijón-Zalia Atlantic RailPort Corridor 740 presents a comprehensive vision of the railway and logistics system connecting Gijón Port, the General Interest Railway Network (RFIG), and the Asturias Logistics and Industrial Activities Zone (Zalia). The goal is to enhance the capacity and reliability of freight rail transport, improve connections with domestic markets, and gradually prepare the system for the operation of trains up to 740 meters in length.
The proposal also includes a regional dimension, positioning Zalia as an intermodal platform serving all of Asturias, rather than solely as an infrastructure linked to Gijón Port. The future rail connection in this area will enable the concentration and distribution of goods from various industrial and logistics areas, linking them with both port infrastructure and domestic rail corridors.
CEF Transport 2026 Funding Request
The Gijón-Zalia Atlantic RailPort Corridor 740 project has been submitted for consideration in the CEF Transport 2026 funding call, an EU program aimed at constructing and modernizing transport infrastructure. Together, Zalia and Gijón Port have requested four million euros to develop the necessary studies and engineering work for future actions.
The requested funding does not cover the execution of the works, which will need to be addressed later based on their maturity, priority, and eligibility. The studies will include demand and market analysis, railway operation concepts, network capacity, interoperability conditions, and engineering solutions for future actions. They will also encompass economic, environmental, and climatic evaluations, as well as legal and governance aspects, and the development of investment and execution strategies.
The overall project identifies a maximum planning volume of 39.5 million euros for all proposed actions, subject to their subsequent development, maturity, and eligibility. The project's structure allows for differentiated interventions, prioritizing those that are best positioned to advance while maintaining an integrated vision of the port, railway, and logistics system.
Integrated Chain from the Port to the Plateau
The Gijón-Zalia Atlantic RailPort Corridor 740 consolidates various elements of the railway and logistics system into a single proposal. In the port sector, it includes studies on capacity needs and operation of the El Musel/Sur-Aboño railway network and its connections with the RFIG, as well as the future rail connection with the back area of the Marcelino León dock.
The project also encompasses the conceptual development of the RailPort Intermodal Hub, designed as a space for railway and intermodal infrastructure within the port to enhance transfer operations between maritime and rail modes and prepare the system for longer train compositions. Additionally, it plans for a future consolidation railway infrastructure in Zalia, functionally connected to the RFIG. This facility will enable the reception, grouping, formation, and dispatch of goods, facilitating the creation of critical mass for new rail services and reinforcing the role of the logistics activities zone as a regional intermodal node.
The study will pay special attention to connections with Castilla y León and Madrid, as well as the needs of operators and various industrial and logistics sectors. The strategy relies on improving rail connectivity and the new opportunities offered by the Pajares variant for relations with the plateau.
One of the central elements of the project is to technically and operationally prepare the system for the future operation of freight trains up to 740 meters, in line with European railway transport interoperability and efficiency objectives. The first phase will involve studying potential demand, infrastructure capacity, operational conditions, and necessary interoperability requirements to achieve this goal. It will also analyze the conditions of various infrastructures that are part of the chain, from rail access to the port to the connection with Zalia. These efforts will help determine the characteristics of potential rail services, infrastructure and operational needs, and the conditions required for their implementation, thereby providing the technical foundation to identify market opportunities and define necessary solutions.
In the image (from left to right): Alejandro Calvo, Minister of Mobility, Environment, and Emergency Management; Jorge García, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility; Nieves Roqueñí, President of the Port Authority of Gijón; and Sophie Cochard, Deputy Director of Development and Transitions at the Port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire, during the Connecting Europe Days held in Brussels.
