On Wednesday, April 23, the president of Eco-Raíl, Julio Gómez Pomar, attended the conference-discussion “Challenges of Railway Innovation in Spain: the case of Eco-Raíl,” held as part of ABC’s “La Mirada Económica” series. The event took place at the Eurostars Palace Hotel in Córdoba and was attended by representatives of the local business community.

In his presentation, Julio Gómez Pomar highlighted the challenges and obstacles faced by the railway and train transport sector in Spain when it comes to innovation—that is, the introduction of new technologies, ideas, or ways of operating.

He explained that Eco-Raíl, a Córdoba-based company, has committed itself to entering a highly complex field that requires major investments, with the clear ambition to take part in innovative and transformative projects.

Pointing out that freight transport by rail is underused in Spain, he emphasized that the company’s strategy for using this infrastructure is to cooperate with road transport. As Gómez Pomar noted, the rail highway offers trucking companies real alternatives to their current difficulties: “We help them address the shortage of drivers, the growing demands from their clients to reduce the carbon footprint of logistics, and the challenges they may face with future tolls.”

In this regard, he referred to Eco-Raíl’s role in promoting the Algeciras–Zaragoza rail highway, an ambitious logistics initiative designed to transfer part of the truck traffic along this corridor by literally loading trucks onto trains. The start of operations with Rail & Truck—a company in which Eco-Raíl is the lead partner alongside two other shareholders—depends on ADIF’s completion of the necessary network adaptation works between the two cities.

Through this example, Eco-Raíl stands out as a model of how innovative solutions focused on sustainability and energy efficiency can be introduced in the rail sector. The company is committed to clean energy, smart railway control technologies, and collaborative management models to transform rail transport into a greener, more modern alternative for customers.

Eco-Raíl already operates along this corridor with three locomotives and 15 wagons. In 2025, it will add seven more locomotives—bringing the total to ten—and acquire 135 additional semi-trailers, reaching a fleet of 150.