The Territorial Commission of Catalonia has approved the Urban Master Plan (PDU) for the Intermodal Logistics Terminal at the Port of Barcelona, green-lighting the construction of the south railway node. The project, located on the former Llobregat River bed and including the Terminal Nou Llobregat, will improve freight transfer from road to rail, reducing emissions, congestion, and accidents. The total investment is estimated at €265 million, with an additional €26 million allocated to create 24 hectares of public green areas.

The south railway node will feature six terminals and serve both maritime-terrestrial and terrestrial-terrestrial traffic, supporting the Port of Barcelona, the Zona Franca, Polígon Pratenc, and surrounding industries. Once fully operational, the new infrastructure will shift approximately 640,000 containers and 46,000 semi-trailers annually from road to rail, boosting sustainability and efficiency.

Spanning 131 hectares and forming part of the Mediterranean Corridor, the project also emphasizes environmental integration. Planned green spaces include the Llobregat Agricultural Park-Montjuïc Park Green Corridor, perimeter walkways, and parks within Barcelona and El Prat de Llobregat, ensuring public access and ecological connectivity.

“The Intermodal Logistics Terminal PDU integrates the infrastructures through landscaping using green corridors that act as a cushion, while improving the connection between urban centres and areas of economic activity and guaranteeing the environmental and social function of the new public spaces to be generated. Therefore the Port of Barcelona Intermodal Logistics Terminal will not affect the valuable surrounding areas”, explains José Alberto Carbonell, President of the Port of Barcelona.

“The Port of Barcelona Intermodal Logistics Terminal Urban Master Plan is the driving force behind a broader project: transforming our Port into a future touchstone in the Mediterranean, able to adapt to the new economic, environmental and logistical needs of the 21st century. Our commitment to updating and modernising the Port of Barcelona is a transformation brought about with profound respect for the identity of Catalonia and Barcelona, as territories that are pioneers in terms of modernity and openness, commerce and new technologies”, says Sílvia Paneque, Regional Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition.

The approval concludes four years of planning, public consultation, and environmental review, allowing construction to commence on a strategic rail infrastructure that aligns with the Port’s long-term strategy to promote rail transport, which has already removed over 1.7 million truck trips in the past decade and cut 48,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.