Compromís demands double rail track on Mediterranean Corridor for Camp de Morvedre
The Compromís party has called for a double railway track on the Cantabrian-Mediterranean line to stop the Camp de Morvedre district from being left at a second-tier level of the rail freight network.
The Valencian nationalist party Compromís has called for the construction of a double track on the Cantabrian-Mediterranean rail axis as a guarantee that the Camp de Morvedre district will not be left at a second-tier level within the freight rail network. The party frames the demand within the context of planned rail infrastructure investment for the district, at a time when Sagunto's connection to the wider network is seen as key to the area's industrial development.
The Mediterranean Corridor, which Compromís links to this demand, is the Spanish section of a trans-European rail axis connecting the French border with Algeciras through Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Murcia and Andalusia. Its freight branch largely uses existing lines, which are being upgraded with features such as mixed track gauge — Iberian gauge (1,668mm) and standard European gauge (1,435mm) — to give direct rail access to the ports of Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante, Cartagena and Almería. The double track Compromís is demanding for the Cantabrian-Mediterranean stretch is presented as a way to reinforce that freight capacity on the section affecting Camp de Morvedre.
The demand comes just days after the same party proposed a joint push in Sagunto for over €20 million in educational infrastructure funding for the district, pointing to a broader party strategy focused on strengthening Camp de Morvedre's position relative to other Valencian districts when it comes to sharing out public investment.
The rail question is not new for the municipality: Sagunto already carries tension over land use linked to the railway, after national rail operator Adif reserved land for future infrastructure, sparking protests from the farming sector in recent months. Against this backdrop, Compromís's demand adds to a wider debate about the role Sagunto should play in the freight rail network serving industries such as ArcelorMittal (the local steel mill), Saggas (the gas terminal) and PowerCo's upcoming battery gigafactory — all of which depend, to varying degrees, on good rail and port connections with the rest of the peninsula and with Europe.
Compromís has not yet detailed a specific timeline or investment figure tied to this double-track demand, so the party is expected to spell out its proposal in more detail to the relevant authorities in the coming weeks.
The arrival of PowerCo's battery gigafactory has put particular focus on the capacity of Camp de Morvedre's freight rail network, since much of the components and materials needed for its industrial activity are expected to travel by rail, both during construction and once the plant is fully operational, making the quality of rail links a decisive factor for the project's success.
The network of industries relying on rail and port transport also includes Toyota Sagunto's logistics centre, whose vehicle distribution to different markets reinforces the need for the district to have rail infrastructure that matches the demands of the large companies based there.
Being left at a second-tier level within the freight network would, Compromís warns, have practical consequences for Camp de Morvedre's ability to attract industrial investment, at a time when other districts and provinces are competing to host new plants and logistics centres tied to the energy transition and electric mobility.
Compromís maintains an active presence on Camp de Morvedre's political agenda through demands focused on infrastructure, from education to rail, a strategy through which the party seeks to establish itself as a reference point for the district ahead of the regional election, on a political board where PSPV-PSOE, PP and Vox are also competing for the support of residents in Sagunto and neighbouring municipalities.
The Mediterranean Corridor is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) promoted by the European Union, meaning that much of the improvement works on this axis, including those that could stem from Compromís's demand, are potentially eligible for European funds specifically earmarked to strengthen rail connectivity between member states.
Development of the Mediterranean Corridor has historically accumulated delays relative to its originally planned timeline, something different political parties and business associations in the Valencian Community have repeatedly criticised, and which partly explains why parties such as Compromís keep pushing for concrete action on stretches such as the one affecting Camp de Morvedre. For ordinary residents, the technical debate over track gauges and rail capacity ultimately boils down to a simpler question: whether industrial jobs will keep arriving in Camp de Morvedre at the same pace as in recent years, or whether the district risks losing ground to better-connected areas.
According to elperiodic.com, with additional background from Wikipedia on the Mediterranean Corridor.