The president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS), César Díaz, announced this Friday the commissioning of the first third of the three that make up the car silo expansion project.
Specifically, these are the first 47,000 m2 intended for vehicle traffic, while work continues on the second and third phases. Once the work on this third phase is completed, up to 5,050 new parking spaces will be launched, which will be added to the existing 6,800.
Díaz stated that this important investment, which amounts to 43.5 million euros, “will provide the port with greater operational capacity and increase the efficiency of the vehicle terminal, concentrating it in a space close to the docks and next to the railway siding, thus reinforcing our commitment to synchromodality and the promotion of the railway.”
The expansion work has been scheduled in three phases that are executed successively “to optimize the operation of the silo during the work and to put it into service gradually,” explained the APS.
At this time, with the commissioning of the first phase of the expansion, and after having completed the system tests of the facilities, “we plan for the second phase to be operational at the beginning of next summer and the third and final one at the beginning of 2027,” Díaz indicated.
The president of the APS emphasized the importance of vehicle traffic for the port of Santander, which he described as “strategic” and a “benchmark” on the Atlantic coast. “We are aware of its importance and, for this reason, we are developing an ambitious commercial plan, joined by the continuous investments we make to improve our facilities. Furthermore, it must be remembered that this is a high value-added cargo, especially valuable for boosting the region’s economy and employment,” he added.
This facility, which has an area of 70,000 m2 per floor, will not only increase the capacity of the car terminal but also improve the management of vehicle flows “given its location between the dock and the railway siding,” emphasizes the port of Santander.
The project is “unique” in terms of its typology and construction process, highlighting the choice of “light and reusable” prefabricated elements to enable the simultaneous operation of the terminal, reduce the cost of the foundation, shorten execution times, reduce occupational risks during the works, and recycle the materials once their useful life is exhausted.
