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Date Published: 22/09/2023

Spain motorway charges SCRAPPED: Drivers to save money in 2024

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Good news for drivers as Spanish motorways will not become toll roads in 2024

The initial proposal to charge for the use of highways in Spain has been thrown out by the European Commission after negotiations with the Government

Spain motorway charges SCRAPPED: Drivers to save money in 2024

After much back and forth and nail-biting over whether all Spanish motorways will become toll roads from next year, it seems the issue has been settled by the EU and autovías in Spain will not become paid toll roads in 2024.

The European Commission has accepted the Spanish Government’s proposal to “remove from the Recovery Plan the initial idea of introducing payment for the use of highways”.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez had been insisting that the toll roads would not materialise since they would be too much of a financial burden on regular people given the current economic climate.

Now, his promises have become reality, and Brussels will accept his request to remove the requirement to raise funds to pay for Spanish motorways. However, as an alternative, the Spanish Government will instead be committed to implementing other alternative environmental and energy saving measures.

One such initiative to meet these goals is the “entry into force of a Sustainable Mobility Law” that seeks to improve the planning, coordination and efficiency of public transportation policies. This law will include specific measures to promote rail freight transport with the aim of reducing emissions from land transport.

More train travel

Among the measures mentioned are “the obligation to implement a rail highway development program” where viable; “the discounting of rail charges for freight traffic”; and “the development of a support program for rail transport of goods”.

The government’s new plan is to disincentivise road haulage and instead promote the transport of goods by rail, in an effort to decarbonise land transportation.

The proposed measures are aligned with European environmental and transport policies, focusing on investment in the ecological and digital transition, as well as sustainable transport.

They are already renovating the rail network all along the Mediterranean from France down to Andalucía with the creation of the so-called ‘Mediterranean Corridor’, which is projected to make train transport faster and more sustainable in the long term.

Images: Archive

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