Catalonia Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Network

Transport Infrastructure in Catalonia

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURES

Functions: Connecting producers and distributors of different centers with consumer markets, i.e., transport of goods. Channeling the flow of people between work centers and services and residential areas. Link between different systems and between urban, rural and less accessible areas.

In Catalonia, the transport network follows a radial pattern centered on Barcelona, with roads and railway lines that follow the coast and the main river valleys.

Roads

Character: radial, centered on Barcelona. Roads provide access points that facilitate distribution but also create difficult accessibility to some points from Barcelona. Therefore, transversal axes have been created to improve connectivity (for example, the C-25 axis and the Llobregat axis).

Railway

1848: the first line to Mataró. The government's current efforts in the field of railway communication are focused on creating new mixed passenger and freight lines, ensuring completion of land connections with Europe and promoting high-speed rail, for example the Euromed service.

Port

Catalonia has 47 ports. The major ports are Barcelona and Tarragona, which develop commercial, industrial, fishing and recreational activities. Other ports include:

• Commercial: Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Vilanova and Palamós.
• Industrial: Alcanar and Vallcarca.

Airport

Catalonia has three commercial airports (Barcelona, Girona and Reus) and seven aerodromes for general and sport aviation (Sabadell, Cerdanya, Empuriabrava, etc.). It is expected to complete the existing network with the construction of seven new airports (Lladurs, Tremp, ...) and heliports to complete the network, and generally improve infrastructure.

Traffic links to Europe: Catalonia is located at the intersection of major European corridors: the diagonal trans-European corridor and the North–South corridor. It is also situated at the intersection of the two-seas connectivity, associated with the Mediterranean and Atlantic corridors.

THE MAIN DEVELOPMENT AND TERRITORIAL EQUILIBRIUM

Logistics

Logistics: management of flows of goods, services and other resources. Logistics typically involves three phases:

1. Transportation.
2. Inventory, warehousing, packaging and supplies.
3. Distribution of goods.

Logistics activities are carried out through channels and nodes (logistics platforms): logistic infrastructures designed to support logistics activity and freight, favoring increased savings from agglomeration synergies.

Catalonia is a logistics center of first order in the European context, as it facilitates trade through these corridors.

Regional contrasts in Catalonia arise from the unequal distribution of population and the location of economic activity. Territorial balancing seeks to organize and manage the territory so that residents can enjoy a comparable standard of living across different areas.