Spain’s Port of Algeciras Expands Rail Network to Boost Moroccan Trade

The Algeciras-Aragon rail line will be operational in 2024. But in the meantime, the port of Algeciras, which recorded a record of more than 1,000 freight trains and 35,000 rail containers in 2021, has already undertaken work to improve the capacity of its rail infrastructure, reports El Periodico de Aragon.

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The port of Algeciras has made a lot of efforts to increase its competitiveness and maritime connectivity. It currently directly connects 200 quays and 75 countries with the best transit time on the peninsula. According to the World Bank, these performances have made this port the most efficient in Europe and in the Mediterranean. In 2021, the port of Algeciras exceeded 100 million tons of goods for the sixth consecutive year. In the first quarter of 2022, its total traffic increased by more than 7%.

To read: Spain’s Algeciras Port Loses €200 Million as Morocco Ferry Link Suspended for Two Years

The reopening of maritime borders with Morocco this April, which has allowed the resumption of passenger traffic with their vehicles, is also beneficial for the port of Algeciras. Truck and semi-trailer traffic between Algeciras and Tanger Med has doubled, from 165,195 in 2011 to 393,658 units in 2021. Similarly, full import and export containers have been multiplied by 2.5, from 168,000 units in 2011 to 420,000 in 2021.