SEOPAN presents the report “Analysis of Priority Investment in Infrastructure in Spain”, prepared by Sener

Spain needs 150,833 million euros (M€) of investment in transport infrastructure with high socioeconomic profitability, necessary to execute the planned actions and comply with European regulations according to data from the report ” Analysis of Priority Investment in Infrastructure in Spain ” prepared by the engineering company Sener, at the request of SEOPAN, the Association of Construction and Concession Companies of Infrastructures. This investment is broken down into €85,083 M in planned actions, €57,154 M in modernization and adaptation of existing infrastructures and €8,595 M in innovative projects.

The planned investments in transport infrastructure, which represent €85,083 million with an execution horizon of 2024-2035, aim to renew, maintain and expand the transport network to resolve the growing demand for mobility in Spain and the problems of congestion, highlighting railway actions (€51,315 million) and road actions (€26,935 million).

Completing the connection of the high-speed rail network, whose planned investment represents €16,514 million (with €9,494 million pending execution) will generate a socio-economic benefit (B/C) of €59,962 million in 30 years of operation. And carrying out the planned actions for commuter trains, metro, trams and conventional railways requires an investment of €47,847 million (with €41,821 million pending execution) that will lead to a socio-economic benefit of €46,369 million in 30 years.

Domestic mobility of people and goods is supported mainly by roads, and it is a priority to complete the road projects planned in the last two decades, which represent an investment of €24,067 million for the construction of 2,415 km of new motorways, the execution of which would entail a socio-economic benefit of €32,290 million over 30 years of operation.

Likewise, the increase in daily traffic recorded in certain sections of the high-capacity road network requires the expansion from 2 to 3 lanes per roadway at some critical points to reduce congestion and improve road safety. The actions under analysis represent €2,868 million of investment in 484 km of State motorways with a socioeconomic benefit of €8,468 million in 30years of operation, almost entirely coming from savings in user travel times, and with a B/C ratio of 6.5.

Finally, planned and pending investments in ports and airports represent €2,344 million and €4,490 million, respectively.

Investments in modernisation and adaptation of existing transport infrastructure, which represent €57,154 million, aim to increase its quality, safety, level of service and adaptation to national and European regulatory requirements.

€19.405 billion is proposed for investment in the modernisation and adaptation of road infrastructure, with €5.586 billion being allocated to anticipate full electric mobility on 13,674 km of high-capacity interurban network and on 51,948 km of conventional roads owned by the State and the Autonomous Communities with 1,585 electric charging stations and 10,710 ultra-fast public access charging points. Also noteworthy are €2.083 billion for ecological transition actions such as reducing emissions on the motorway network through repaving actions, carbon sinks, lighting efficiency, noise pollution, etc. and €2.405 billion for the digitalisation of the high-capacity road network.

To improve road safety, €2.559 billion is proposed for investment, broken down into €750 million for sections with high accident rates, €191 million to reduce fatalities among vulnerable users – cycle lanes and pedestrian paths -, €805 million for the duplication of conventional roads and €813 million for the implementation of 2+1 roads on 534 km of conventional roads. Additionally, €500 million is proposed for the creation of 400,000 safe parking spaces for trucks. Finally, €6.272 billion is identified for specific projects to bury urban roads in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​which would generate significant savings in travel times, a significant reduction in emissions and the release of large urban areas for future uses.

Intermodal infrastructure represents another important part of modernisation and adaptation investments, with actions worth €4,335 million, broken down into €358 million in railway motorways, €882 million in rail-port connections, €1,717 million in air-rail connections and €1,379 million in transport interchanges. It is also a priority to increase the current modal share of rail freight transport; the multi-sector association FERRMED identifies €30,236 million of investment in Spain for the construction and adaptation of through stations and interconnection lines. Added to this is €1,080 million in various unique railway infrastructures.

In the port sector, investments of €1,000 million are worth mentioning, for the civil works necessary for industrial development and the execution of floating foundations associated with the deployment of offshore wind energy, and €1,098 million for the Onshore Power Supply port programme to meet the European objective of electrical connectivity at berths in 2030.

Thirdly and finally, examples of innovative investments are identified to improve efficiency in the mobility of people and goods (dynamic electric charging, vertiports and magnetic levitation train), the promotion of smart cities and digital infrastructures – data centres -, reaching an estimated investment of €8,595 million.