Spain’s Road and Rail Transport Networks
Road Network in Spain
The road network connects the various villages, making it a key infrastructure for accessibility and organization of the territory.
Features:
- The network has a radial design, centered in Madrid. This model was started in the eighteenth century by the Bourbons. Since 1960, the road network was modernized and expanded, favoring a centralized model connecting the capital with the main peripheral areas.
- Powers over the network are shared with the state: the state network links the major population centers of the country and connects with the international network consisting of freeways and expressways.
- Technical characteristics: the roads are varied. The state network is satisfactory, while provincial and municipal roads are deficient in width and asphalt.
- Road transport carries the most passenger and goods traffic because the price is lower and it allows direct connection between points of departure and destination.
- There are clear regional imbalances in density, intensity, and accessibility. Higher density corresponds to more economically developed communities, which have dispersed and fragmented populations due to relief, and the Canary and Balearic Islands. Lower density is found in areas of lower economic status and concentrated populations. Traffic intensity is the number of daily trips made. Accessibility is higher in industrial areas and tourist attractions.
- The Strategic Infrastructure Plan for Transportation aims to:
- Provide all territories a high degree of accessibility by connecting all provincial capitals to the network.
- Improve quality and safety.
- Create cross-cutting routes to relieve the radial network.
- The Spanish road network strives for greater integration with the EU. Road communication with other European countries requires the improvement of the Pyrenean axis and connecting the different regions along these axes, as some are isolated or poorly connected. Regarding Spain, the trans-European road network includes the construction of new lines in the Pyrenees and improving connections with Portugal.
Spanish Railway System
The railway was once the main transport mode. However, competition from other modes has placed it in a secondary and serious financial situation, as it has remained relatively stagnant and faces very high costs. Characteristics of rail transport are:
Characteristics:
- It consists of three networks:
- The Spanish National Railways Network (RENFE), which has a radial structure. This structure allows more connections with fewer lines, reducing costs.
- Narrow Gauge Railways (LVEF). Their main problem is underutilization, which is being addressed by improving infrastructure and establishing commuter services.
- High-Speed Network (AVE), which began with the opening of the Madrid-Seville line in 1992.
- Technical characteristics of the lines present sharp contrasts: although some tracks and rolling stock have been revamped and security has increased, most lines are poor: they are not electrified, are single-track, have steep slopes, and involve many detours. The result is an excessive increase in travel time and cost.
- Passenger and freight traffic should be redirected:
- Passenger traffic is profitable on commuter lines by alleviating road congestion.
- Freight traffic is focusing on heavy and bulky goods.
- There are clear regional imbalances in equipment and investments. The most equipped lines receiving increased investment are those connecting the most economically developed cities, while others have poor infrastructure.
- The Strategic Infrastructure Plan for Transportation plans to increase commuter traffic, expand the high-speed network and connect with Europe, and improve traffic control, signage, and security.
- The Spanish rail network aims at a better integration with the EU.