PortCastelló expands its hinterland to 600 kilometers with new rail and intermodal connection

The director of the Port Authority of Castellón, Manuel J. García, reaffirmed PortCastelló's role as an industrial maritime hub during his speech at the forum «Encuentros SER: The future of industrial clusters in the province of Castellón», held at the Moll de Costa. García presented the infrastructure's key figures and the three crucial investments that will guarantee the competitive growth of the port and its service to the Castellón industry.

PortCastelló is currently ranked as the ninth port in the national port system in terms of total goods traffic. The facility has 2.7 million square meters of land area, 4 kilometers of berthing line, and a draft of 16 meters in the south dock, supported by 20 regular maritime services in addition to special connections.

Exponential leap in connectivity and service to the ceramic sector

In terms of connectivity, the director highlighted the operational transformation the facility will undergo. Currently, the direct hinterland covers a radius of 375 kilometers and 6 provinces. With the implementation of the rail access and the new Intermodal Station —scheduled for June 2027 and subject to the execution of ADIF's works—, PortCastelló will reach a radius of 600 kilometers and connect directly with 26 provinces. «A port without a rail connection loses competitiveness,» explained Manuel J. García.

Likewise, the Port Authority works closely with the ceramic sector with the aim of increasing the outbound traffic share of finished products, primarily oriented towards short-distance markets (short sea shipping).

The director of PortCastelló explained that «our investments in rail connectivity and in the south dock respond to a clear objective: to offer the industry of Castellón, and especially the ceramic cluster, the best logistical tools to compete in the global market. Gaining draft, surface area, and direct access to the train is consolidating PortCastelló as the great economic and sustainable engine of our province.»

The three key development infrastructures

PortCastelló's expansion and investment strategy is based on three priority projects:

• Rail access: A project with a total budget of 325 million euros, of which 90 million are contributed directly by the Port Authority of Castellón (APC).
• Intermodal Station: Infrastructure fully financed by the APC that will be added to the internal station in the south dock to optimize multimodal logistics.
• Phase 1 of the Ribera de Costa Quay (South Dock): Reorganization of the initial design to gain an additional 1.5 kilometers of berthing line without sacrificing operational surface area. This action includes 600 linear meters of direct berthing and 30 hectares reclaimed from the sea destined for the offshore wind industry.