Works on the Mediterranean Corridor are entering their final phase. The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, confirmed on Wednesday that the second mixed-gauge track on the section between Valencia and Castelló will be operational by 2026. This route already features a first third rail since 2018 and, eight years later, will complete its conversion for international gauge circulation.

The Government's forecasts for 2026 include the commissioning of the La Llagosta freight terminal, already operational since January, as well as the completion of the Martorell-Castellbisbal section and its connection to the SEAT factory, all in Catalonia. Additionally, in the Valencian Community, the second track of the Valencia-Castelló mixed-gauge section, the new access to the Port of Sagunto, the new intermodal terminal of Fuente de San Luis, and the freight bypass between Valencia and Almussafes are expected to be launched.

The minister conveyed this information during a meeting held on Wednesday in Madrid with the new Commissioner of the Mediterranean Corridor, Joan Calabuig, and the president of Adif, Pedro Marco. In addition to the section between Valencia and Castelló, the central Executive must complete the corridor works between the capital of La Plana and Tarragona, where the current Iberian gauge will be replaced by the international one. According to recent announcements, the corridor between Alicante and France will be fully operational by 2027, allowing high-speed circulation between Alicante, Valencia, Castelló, and Barcelona, and boosting freight traffic by train.

On the mixed-gauge section between Valencia and Castelló, conventional, high-speed, and freight traffic will coincide. This solution was adopted during years of financial crisis due to its lower cost, but the construction of a double track remains a demand from civil society to avoid saturation. In fact, the corridor works have reduced the capacity of Cercanías (commuter rail), the most used railway service by users in Castelló. The Ministry has reactivated the project for a new double track between Castelló and Valencia, submitting an informative study for the environmental impact assessment process.

The investment executed in the Mediterranean Corridor from January 2024 to March 31, 2026, amounts to a record 2.9 billion euros in construction, adaptation, and improvement works for sections, stations, and access to cities and ports. In 2025 alone, the execution reached 1.3 billion euros, highlighting the progress in the corridor's development, which is at historic highs with almost 870 kilometers under construction out of a total of 1,838 kilometers. The project has gone from having 45% of its route under construction or completed in 2018 to the current 83%, paralleling the growth in operational railway network kilometers: from 383 kilometers in 2018 (21% of the total) to 658 kilometers currently. To achieve these figures, Adif has tendered works worth 8.638 billion euros and awarded contracts for 6.705 billion euros between June 2018 and March 31, 2026, of which 6.023 billion euros have already been executed.