Catalonia Transport Infrastructure and European Corridors

Catalonia Port Network and Maritime Logistics

Catalonia currently has 47 ports, most of which are for sports. The two major ports, Barcelona and Tarragona, develop commercial, industrial, fishing, and sports activities. With regard to passenger transport, the most significant is Barcelona, which recorded 2,879,864 passengers in 2007. Other ports with commercial activity include Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Vilanova i la Geltrú, and Palamós.

In the year 2007, the Government approved the Plan of Catalonia Ports 2006-2015 in order to enhance and improve port activity, effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. In this sense, it was warned that the construction of new port facilities involves changing the dynamics of the coastline; therefore, this needs to be done with environmental sustainability criteria. The improvement of the network ports should allow for the achievement of the following objectives:

• Prioritize the expansion of existing ports.
• Promote the role of the ports of Barcelona and Tarragona as major logistics centers in Catalonia.
• Improve marketing conditions for fishing ports.
• Create new places in marinas.
• Promote the capture of new markets and short sea shipping to ports.
• Improve the integration of commercial ports into the urban fabric.

Aviation Infrastructure and Airport Networks

In recent years, air transport has experienced tremendous growth. On the one hand, the number of passengers on commercial flights has greatly increased; on the other hand, freight transport has grown, especially for value-added goods. Alongside this is the increased use of air transport for general purposes.

Catalonia currently has a dozen airports and airfields: three commercial airports and seven general aviation and sports airfields. The Plan of Airports, Aerodromes, and Heliports in Catalonia 2006-2015, adopted in 2006, expected to complete the existing network with the construction of seven new airports and heliports, completing the general network and improving the infrastructure.

Strategic Traffic Links with Europe

Catalonia is at the crossroads of two major European economic and strategic corridors: the Diagonal European and the North-South corridor.

• Diagonal Europe: This is a great east-west corridor that passes through Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Perpignan, Montpellier, Lyon, Turin, Ljubljana, and Budapest, finally arriving in Kiev.
• North-South Corridor: This connects Hamburg with Tangier via Metz, Lyon, Montpellier, Barcelona, Valencia, and Algeciras.

This North-South corridor follows the most dynamic areas of the European economy and is one of the major strategic axes of the trans-European transport network meant for third countries.