Bilbao to Take Over Direct Management of Its Freight Rail Terminal

The Spanish Government and the Basque Government agreed to move forward with integrating the Freight Transport Terminal of the Port of Bilbao, along with its intermodal area, into the assets of the Port Authority of Bilbao. The move means the port authority will take over ownership and direct management of these facilities.

The agreement was reached within the framework of the Bilateral Cooperation Commission between the General State Administration and the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, at a meeting held on November 3 in Madrid. The meeting was chaired by the Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, while the Basque delegation was led by the Minister of Governance, Digital Administration and Self-Government, María Ubarretxena.

The terminal and its intermodal area are located on public domain land and are used for container loading and unloading operations. The State committed to carrying out the necessary actions to finalize the incorporation of these facilities into the assets of the Port Authority of Bilbao, although no timeline or specific administrative procedures were specified to complete the transfer.

This integration aims to strengthen coordination between port and rail infrastructure, which according to the Ministry will help improve the operational efficiency and competitiveness of the Port of Bilbao, as well as bolster the industrial and logistics network linked to its activity. At the same meeting, both governments also agreed to create a Bilateral Subcommission on Migration Coordination to address issues related to migration policies.