The Spanish government has authorized the signing of the contract for the construction of the intermodal terminal in Cantabria, a province located in the north of the country.
The Llano de La Pasiega terminal is considered a strategic project that will strengthen rail freight transport in the Cantabria region and improve logistics connections between rail, road, and maritime transport. The new infrastructure will be located in the municipality of Piélagos and will receive an investment of nearly 62 million EUR, funded equally by the Spanish railway infrastructure administrator, Adif, and the regional public company SICAN (Suelo Industrial de Cantabria).
The decision was approved by the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and establishes the framework for collaboration on the project’s design, construction, and future operation of the terminal.
The new logistics hub will cover an area of 140,343 square meters and will be built parallel to the Palencia–Santander railway line, which will provide it with direct access to the Spanish rail network.
Logistics Hub for Northern Spain
The new project is part of a much larger initiative through which the authorities aim to develop an intermodal and interregional logistics hub spanning approximately 200 hectares in Cantabria. The future complex will integrate rail, road, and port connections, transforming the region into a major logistics hub for northern Spain.
The Cantabria intermodal terminal project is included in the Ministry of Transportation’s “Mercancías 30” (“Freight 30”) program, a national initiative that aims to increase the role of rail freight in multimodal logistics chains and raise the modal share of rail transport to 10%.
The terminal will also contribute to the development of operations at the Port of Santander, providing additional cargo-handling capacity and facilitating efficient transfers between trains, ships, and trucks.
Financing and Operation Model
Under the agreement, SICAN will be responsible for contracting design services and carrying out the construction work, in coordination with Adif. Upon completion of the investment, the two entities will jointly own the terminal, each holding a 50% stake.
During the operational phase, SICAN will directly manage the intermodal terminal or may appoint a third-party operator after entering into a contract under which Adif will lease its share of the infrastructure to SICAN.
Spanish authorities believe the project will contribute to achieving sustainable development goals related to economic growth and the development of modern, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure, while strengthening the logistical competitiveness of the Cantabria region and the northern Spanish transport corridor.
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