Transmodal Forum in Álava Highlights the Port of Bilbao

On November 12, the assembly hall of the Álava Chamber of Commerce will host the XVIII edition of the Transmodal Forum, organized by the Port Authority of Bilbao and the Álava Chamber of Commerce with the sponsorship of Howden and the collaboration of the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Álava. The objective of this professional meeting is to promote growth and improve the competitiveness of the logistics and intermodal sector through the exchange of experiences and knowledge of best practices.

Under the title 'The Atlantic Arc: Connectivity between the Iberian Peninsula and Europe', this event, aimed at industrial, exporting, transport and distribution companies and professionals, and logistics operators, also seeks to publicize the intermodal potential of the Álava logistics area and the Port of Bilbao, both due to its geographical location and its infrastructures.

The opening session of the conference will feature the participation of the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Álava, Gregorio Rojo; the president of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Ivan Jimenez; the General Deputy of Álava, Ramiro González; and a representative of the Basque Government.

Subsequently, the general secretary of the Atlantic Arc Commission, Elise Wattrelot, will speak about the Atlantic area and its importance for logistics. The second panel will deal with the Júndiz Intermodal Terminal, a strategic infrastructure for rail freight transport, improving the competitiveness of the business fabric and consolidating Álava and the Port of Bilbao as reference logistics hubs in the north of the peninsula, as well as in the entire Atlantic Corridor.

After a networking break, the conference will continue with the panel 'From the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe and the world', in which the Vitoria HUB Manager Network Operations at DHL Express Europe, Carmen Herrero; the Director of Operations, Commercial and Logistics of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Andima Ormaetxe; the CEO of Grupo Transonuba, Juan Carlos Fernández Villa; the Head of Business Development at DB Cargo Iberia, Pedro Ramos; and the director of Vidrala Logistics, Javier de Prado, will participate.

Next, the head of Transport at AECOC, Javier Jaso; the Director of Operations, Commercial and Logistics of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Andima Ormaetxe; the Director of IR and Communication at ONTIME, Ángel González; and representatives of Transitalia and a loading company will contribute their points of view in the panel 'Intermodal transport plan for the mass consumption sector'. To conclude the conference, a delegate from Bodegas Luis Cañas; the commercial director at DARTESS. HOWDEN, Álvaro Betanzos; and a representative from Howden will participate in the session 'Wine logistics in the three major wine regions of the Arc'.

The Port of Bilbao, in its commitment to intermodality, has an efficient network of rail and road connections, being a leader in the use of railways. From January to September 2026, a total of 2,823 trains circulated through the port facilities, of which 1,988 transported containerized cargo. These moved a total of 92,135 TEUs, which means that 27% of the total container traffic is moved by rail, positioning the Port of Bilbao as a leader in the Spanish port system by share.

It also has a wide network of twenty-two dry ports and accesses that connect the port with the national network to Miranda de Ebro, where it branches off to Burgos-Madrid and Zaragoza, which allows it to receive and dispatch compositions that transport all types of goods from and to the Peninsula. In addition, it exercises its powers regarding railway traffic management in the port, and assumes responsibility for maneuvers with the aim of providing a universal, neutral and competitive service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It has a TECO terminal and a train classification station within the same port facilities.

Adif recently awarded the operation of the Vitoria-Jundiz railway terminal to the UTE TERMINAL INTERMODAL JUNDIZ, which includes the Port Authority of Bilbao, Servicios Intermodales Bilbaoport, S.L. (Sibport), the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Álava and CTV – Centro de Transporte de Vitoria, as well as the Port Authority of Pasaia and Medlog Spain Logistic (MSC Group).

The contract, with an initial duration of six years and extendable up to a maximum of twenty, foresees a movement of 300,000 UTIs in the first six years in this strategic infrastructure, part of the Trans-European Transport Network for the structuring of peninsular and European transport and logistics due to its strategic function as the initial point of the cross-border section 'Vitoria-San Sebastián-Bayona-Bordeaux'. Therefore, it is a key element to promote rail freight transport, improve the competitiveness of the business fabric and consolidate Álava as a reference logistics hub in the north of the peninsula, as well as in the entire Atlantic Corridor.