Transportation and Communication Systems in Spain

Posted on Dec 12, 2024 in Geography

Transportation and Communication Systems

The transport system is the set of means that allows the movement of people and goods between places. It plays an important role in the organization of the economy.

A) Transport and Land Interact

  • On one hand, transport reflects the imbalances in economic development by adapting to the location of the largest urban and economic centers.
  • Transport can make changes across the territory; it is a key factor for the development of the regions, making them accessible and attractive to economic activities.

B) Backbone Networks

Transport also structures the territory, as the movement of people and goods connects different locations. These movements are becoming more intense, fast, and cheap, and occur between increasing distances, thanks to technological advances. On the other hand, forms of distance communication and telecommunications have now attained great importance because the connection to them shortens geographical distances.

1. Characteristics of the Transport System

A) The physical environment is unfavorable due to the ruggedness of the terrain and some elements of the weather (frost, heavy rain, and fog).

B) Ground and air networks are radial.

  • The land transport network is centered in Madrid and extends to the borders.
  • Madrid-Barajas airport has direct connections to Spanish airports and major foreign airports.

C) In passenger and freight traffic, the road dominates, providing access to any service point and offering “door-to-door” service at discount prices.

D) The network has significant regional imbalances in terms of density, intensity, and quality because preferential tension has been given to the main traffic axes. The result is great accessibility among different regions and counties and uneven utilization of the network, which has busy stretches where traffic is concentrated and underused sections.

E) Transport responsibilities were decentralized following the establishment of the state of autonomies.

  • The state retains control over international transport and has exclusive jurisdiction over ground transportation that runs for over an autonomous region, shipping, ports, and airports of general interest to air transport and post and telecommunications.
  • The Autonomous Communities may assume exclusive jurisdiction over land transport that runs entirely within their community, the commercial ports and airports, and cable communications.

F) Spanish transport policy is governed by the Strategic Plan for Transport Infrastructure (PEIT) (2005-2020), whose main objectives are:

  • Promoting economic development and competitiveness of the economy.
  • Strengthening social cohesion, ensuring equitable accessibility conditions for all.
  • Correcting the predominance of the road, promoting passenger rail and cargo, sea shipping, and intermodality or interconnection of different modes of transport.
  • Increasing quality and safety.
  • Contributing to sustainable mobility, reducing emissions from transport, and charging environmental guidelines, international and EU guidelines.

G) The Spanish transport network is integrated into the European network. The EU aims to boost the momentum of European networks and improve infrastructure in the peripheral regions, to ensure the proper functioning of the single market, and to make transport systems environmentally friendly. The main repercussions of this policy in Spain are:

  • Improving links with the EU: new links with Europe through expressways and high-speed trains.
  • The receipt of European funds for infrastructure improvement.
  • Taking steps to reduce the environmental impact.

H) The transport system has an impact on the environment, which may be visual, acoustic, and air pollution.

1.1 Road Transport

The road network connects the different towns, and it is a key infrastructure for accessibility and joint planning. The characteristics of road transport in Spain are the following:

A) The network presents a radial design, centered in Madrid. It connects the capital with the main population and economic activity, located in the periphery.

B) The powers over the network are divided between the State, autonomous communities, and councils.

  • The statewide network includes the general interest itineraries.
  • The Autonomous Communities Network, a network of councils, and intracommunal networks of island communities ensure access to all population centers.

C) The technical characteristics: The statewide network is provided satisfactorily (no section has a width inferior to nine meters).

D) The road receives the most traffic of passengers and goods.

E) There are clear territorial imbalances.

  • Density is higher in more developed communities (Madrid, Catalonia, Valencian Community).
  • The lowest density is in the areas of the lowest economic level and concentrated population.
  • The traffic intensity is higher (Mediterranean, Cantabrian, and Ebro).
  • Accessibility is highest in industrial and tourist areas.

F) The Strategic Plan for Transport Infrastructure:

  • A high-capacity mesh network connecting all provincial capitals.
  • Breaking the axes, the Cantabrian motorway, the Silver Route.
  • The TERN includes the construction of two new trans-European axes (Bordeaux-Toulouse-Valencia and Barcelona).

1.2 Rail Transport

Its features are composed of three networks:

A)

  • The Spanish National Railways Network (RENFE), with 12,808 km in 2003, absorbed over 90% of rail traffic. From the basic network, open branches.
  • Narrow Gauge Railways (LVEF), covering 2000 km in the Cantabrian area.
  • The high-speed network (AVE) of over 250 km/h, began with the opening of the Madrid-Seville line in 1992. Madrid-Barcelona and Madrid-Valladolid.

B) The technical characteristics present marked contrasts.

C) Passenger and freight traffic should be redirected.

  • Passenger traffic is profitable on lines near the vicinity.
  • Freight traffic is focused on heavy loads and high volume.

D) There are clear regional imbalances in equipment and investments. The roads are more equipped to communicate with more economically developed cities.

E) The Strategic Plan for Transport Infrastructure gives priority to rail transport. Expanding the high-speed network and connecting with Europe.

F) The Spanish rail network aims at better integration with the European Union.

1.3 Maritime Transport

It is characterized by the following features:

A) The port network is distributed between the State and the Autonomous Communities. The statewide network includes commercial ports, while the autonomous communities have a large number of small ports. The Ports Act allows communities to participate in commercial ports.

B) Passenger and freight traffic have large contrasts.

  • Passenger traffic by cabotage is scarce.
  • Freight is mainly engaged in transporting oil from coastal refineries to ports near industrial or urban areas.
  • International freight traffic is extremely important; most imports and exports of goods are made by ship.
  • The merchandise is usually solid and liquid bulk. Currently, the highest growth is for general merchandise traffic, especially carried in containers.

C) The ports need to improve their techniques.

D) There are regional imbalances in equipment and investments (Algeciras, Las Palmas, Bilbao, Barcelona, and Valencia).

E) The Strategic Infrastructure Plan of Transportation provides for the specialization of ports.

F) The European Union prepared a Green Paper on ports, proposing competition.

1.4 River Transport

It is reduced to the port of Seville on the Guadalquivir River. This presents problems such as the port of entry, where shoals proliferate, and the section from Bonanza to Seville, where sedimentation is gradually being reduced. However, it has an important inland hinterland: the Guadalquivir Valley and Extremadura.

1.5 Air Transport

It has developed rapidly due to income growth, changes in the spatial organization of the economy, increased tourist demand, professionalism and business, and the development of international flights from Spain in the European and global economy. Air transport has the following features:

A) The airport network is quite extensive because, in the 1970s, the policy continued that all cities should have an airport (model airport-city). This network is organized hierarchically, so Madrid-Barajas airport functions as a central hub, with direct connections to all Menorca airports and to the main Spanish and foreign airports. The peripheral airports do, in general, their links through cards.

B) Passenger and freight traffic have a wide range.

  • The plane is very competitive in the transportation of passengers for its speed and convenience.
  • Freight traffic is limited by its high cost, which affects the final price of transported products.

C) There are territorial imbalances in air traffic: The main Spanish airports are in urban, economic, and tourist centers.

D) The Strategic Plan for Transport Infrastructure is aimed at strengthening the economic function of airports by improving access from the cities, infrastructure, and generating security.

E) The European Union has liberalized tariffs and services.

2. Communications

The forms of distance communication and telecommunications are essential for economic development as they allow for the instantaneous exchange of information. The Spanish telecommunications network, especially the telephone network, has experienced very high growth where they have achieved greater diffusion. The spatial distribution of telephone flows addresses a hierarchical model: the provinces that receive more flows are hosting major metropolitan areas (Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, and Vizcaya). Madrid stands out as a master network node, receiving streams from very distant provinces, while other provinces are nodes for their own regional or neighboring regional schemes.