Transport in Spain and Its Role in Land Organization

Unit 17: Transport in Spain and Its Role in Land Organization

17.1 Transport: Basic Elements of Territorial Organization and Economy

Transport is the activity that moves people and goods between two or more geographic locations. The transport system is the way in which transport takes place: land, sea, or air. Each transport system requires specific transport or moving parts (cars, buses, trucks, trains, boats, or aircraft) and fixed infrastructure for the movement (roads, highways, rail lines, ports, and airports).

Current transport systems have managed to increase speed, tonnage, specialization, autonomy, comfort, and safety. They have also improved infrastructure, and prices have dropped.

The importance of transport is due to the various functions it performs:

• Political role: Defense and control of the territory by the State.
• Population: Influencing the settlement of the population.
• Economic: Trading goods, promoting employment, and stimulating economic development in areas well-provided with transport.
• Social function: Allowing daily movements and entertainment for people.
• Cultural role: Spreading culture.
• International: Fostering international relations and promoting the ongoing process of globalization.

17.2 Transport and Land Interaction

Transport and land interact. On the one hand, transport reflects imbalances in the spatial distribution of population and economic development by adapting to the location of the largest urban and economic centers. On the other hand, transport can make changes to the territory; it is a key factor for the development of regions, making them accessible and attractive to economic activities. This makes the transport system a key element in regional planning, which should be directed to deliver accessibility, strengthening the networks of less-developed areas and easing the more saturated axes.

Transportation networks also structure the territory since the movement of people and goods connects different locations. These movements are becoming more intense, fast, and cheap and occur between increasing distances, thanks to technological advances. Moreover, forms of distance communication and telecommunications have now attained great importance since connection to them shortens geographical distances.

17.3 Land Transport: Road and Rail Networks

The Spanish physical environment is unfavorable due to the ruggedness of the relief (steep slopes are not conducive to the layout of roads and railways) and some weather elements (frost, heavy rain, and fog). Although modern techniques have overcome some difficulties, these physical conditions imply a cost increase, which reduces profitability.

Terrestrial networks are radial. The land transport network is centered in Madrid and extends like spokes to the borders and major ports. This model was initiated in the 18th century with the road network of the Bourbons and consolidated in the 19th century as the railway network basically coincided with the road.

In passenger and freight traffic, road transport dominates as it allows access to anywhere and provides door-to-door service at discounted prices. Current transport policy aims to correct this by promoting rail and intermodal transport (consisting of a combination of different modes of transportation for freight or passengers). Spain has over 160,000 km of national and regional roads and over 11,000 km of highways and expressways.

The network has significant regional imbalances in terms of density, intensity, and quality because investments have focused on the main traffic axes. The result is large differences in accessibility between regions and counties and uneven network utilization, with busy stretches where traffic is concentrated and underused sections. The density and network quality are higher in more economically developed regions. Therefore, transport policy aims to provide high accessibility to the whole territory, connecting all provincial capitals through high-capacity roads and high-speed railways.

Transport powers were decentralized following autonomous status and assigned to the State, the CCAA, and deputations.

Terrestrial communications with Europe are weak. Hence, it is essential to build infrastructure to increase accessibility and economic competitiveness. To this end, Spain will join the European transport network with new high-capacity roads and high-speed railways, which will adopt the European gauge.

Railroads are used to transport goods and passengers over short distances. Spain has about 14,000 km of lines (RENFE) and 2,000 km of narrow gauge (LVEF). It is profitable in commuter trains and the high-speed line (AVE). The advantages of rail are its high load capacity, safety, speed, and low pollution if it is electrified. Its drawbacks are the rigidity of the circuit and the high cost of construction and maintenance of the lines. At present, rail is recovering from a crisis caused by competition from road and air. The new high-speed lines and trains bring competitiveness to this medium.

17.4 Maritime Transport

Boats are mostly used for waterborne transport of goods, and only a small percentage is used for passenger transport (mainly focused on cruise ships).

Freight transport by boat is best suited for long distances and focuses on goods that are heavy, bulky, and of low value per tonne (oil, coal, minerals, cereals, etc.). The advantages of boats are their high load capacity and low price. The drawbacks are slowness and water pollution, especially in case of accidents.

Boats are used for the international traffic of heavy goods, which is concentrated in the ports of Algeciras, Barcelona, and Valencia. Passenger transport is limited to travel between islands or between the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, especially in summer; hence, its concentration in the ports of the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Algeciras, and Ceuta.

River transport is almost nonexistent in Spain due to the poor navigability of our rivers. Our country has only one river port: Seville.

17.5 Air Transport

Aircraft are used for transporting passengers over long distances and for transporting perishable, urgent, or low-volume and high-value goods. Its advantages are speed, security, and independence from the characteristics of the relief or the distribution of land and sea. The drawbacks are the high operating and maintenance costs, its high price and fuel consumption, and the noise and air pollution it causes.

Currently, air transport has increased with the creation of charter flights to tourist areas, the proliferation of low-cost airlines, and increased regional flights in smaller aircraft.

In Spain, the air transport network is also radial. In the network of airports, Madrid also has direct connections with almost all Spanish airports and major foreign ones, whereas many peripheral airports carry out their links through the capital.

The plane is the most competitive means for international passenger transport. The main airports are Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife.

17.6 Transport and the Environment

The transport system’s impact on the environment can be visual (altering the landscape), acoustic (increasing the noise level in the vicinity of roads, railways, and airports), and air pollution (noxious emissions of vehicles). Therefore, since 1986, it has been required to assess the environmental impact of projects and allocate some budget to mitigate problems.

Measures taken include:

• Controlling emissions of toxic gases from vehicles
• Promoting the use of public transport
• Producing cleaner vehicles