Both CEV and CEOE Aragón believe that the proposed solution is inadequate and must be reviewed in light of the role this corridor is expected to play over the coming decades. In their view, the debate cannot be limited to determining whether a single track can absorb the projected demand in the study's baseline scenario, which is already outdated due to the business growth experienced by both regions in recent years.
BUSINESS GROUPS CALL FOR DOUBLE TRACK TO BE STUDIED AGAIN
CEV and CEOE Aragón believe it is necessary to reassess the chosen single-track option and study electrified double track again. As an alternative, they propose possible phased construction, provided that land is reserved from the outset and future expansion is guaranteed, and that the line's effective capacity and the possible saturation threshold of a single track are analyzed.
Both confederations also consider it essential to assess the line's actual operating capacity, rather than only the theoretical number of services it could accommodate. Train crossings, the coexistence of freight and passenger trains traveling at different speeds, maintenance operations and the ability to recover from disruptions are factors that decisively affect the operation of single-track infrastructure.
AVOIDING A STRUCTURAL DISCONTINUITY IN THE CORRIDOR
Another central argument in the objections is the need to ensure consistency between the Sagunto-Teruel section and the rest of the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor. The documentation analyzed includes double-track solutions for the Teruel-Zaragoza section, while the Valencia-Castellón-Tarragona axis is also moving in that direction. Keeping this section as single track would create a discontinuity.
CEV and CEOE Aragón warn that this configuration could turn the section into a structural bottleneck, reduce the competitiveness of the route via Teruel compared with other itineraries and limit the functionality of other public and private investments already made or planned at both ends of the line.
CEOE Aragón also calls for planning to take into account Aragón's growth as a logistics, technology and industrial hub, particularly the development of PLAZA, one of Europe's five largest logistics platforms by size and activity and currently undergoing expansion; PLATEA, whose railway terminal was recently expanded; and Teruel Airport.
In the Valencian Community, CEV likewise highlights the changes recorded since 2017, particularly around the Sagunto axis and the port system. The development of Parc Sagunt, the arrival of PowerCo, new industrial and logistics projects and railway investments at the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Castellón have created a potential-demand scenario that is very different.
