A Catalonia without obstacles

The Catalan government’s Minister of Territory and Sustainability, Josep Rull, has declared that there are two serious issues concerning the way in which motorways are currently managed in Catalonia. One involves Spain, where there are far more toll-free motorways. And the other stems from discrepancies between Catalan counties, whereby some charge higher tolls than others. As a result, the minister announced yesterday that the government is working on developing a new management model for its motorways, which could see an end to the old model of toll gates.

Rull made the announcement during his closing speech at a conference on infrastructure organized by the Official Chamber of Building Contractors of Catalonia (CCOC), adding that he hopes to finalise the plan within six months. To this end, he is holding meetings with professional associations, trade unions, employers, universities and parliamentary groups in a joint effort to determine "a means to finance roads" which "does away with the current issues concerning tolls". Without entering into details, the minister described the Eurovignette —a charge on heavy goods vehicles regulated by European directives, to cover the costs of highways such as motorways and tunnels— as worthy of interest, together with pay-per-use, and in relation to emissions, taking into account criteria such as sustainability and safety.

Incidentally, Rull’s predecessor, Santi Vila, also tried to implement the Eurovignette on the Eix Transversal (C-25), but it was eventually scrapped. Although the charge was agreed, its implementation depended on the Spanish government also imposing it on the A-2 motorway, something which the then Minister of Public Works, Ana Pastor, failed to do.


End of the concession

When Pastor —currently the Speaker of the Spanish parliament— was a minister, she repeatedly refused to renew concessions on the motorway tolls. Some of the first toll road concessions to come to an end are the southern section of the AP-7 (between Valencia and Cambrils), which is due to end in 2019; the northern section of the AP-7 (between Cambrils and La Jonquera), and the AP-2 (between Vendrell and Tarragona), which ends in 2021. These concessions belong to the Spanish State and the new minister of Development, Inigo de la Serna, has yet to state his position on the model. In the case of the Catalan Government’s concessions, the first ones to come up for renewal are the C-32 in the Maresme and the C-33 in the Vallès, in 2021. Rull has reiterated on numerous occasions that toll concessions will not be renewed.

The Minister of Territory and Sustainability’s words come at a time of possible changes to the toll road model. On the one hand, the concessions are up for renewal for the first time, while on the other, the Spanish government will have to bail out two toll roads in Madrid (the R-3 and R-5), which could cost up to €1 bn. In Catalonia, the government is also studying the possibility of bailing out the C-17 between Vic and Ripoll, a concession operated by Cedinsa under a so-called shadow toll system, by which the government pays the concession holder according to the number of vehicles using the road. The concession is owned by the construction companies FCC, Comsa, Copisa and Copcisa, and is not due to end until 2039. For the government, this would represent a cost of some €200 million, whereas cancelling the contract now could save €120 million.

Nevertheless, the option of cancelling other toll concessions has been ruled out due to the exorbitant costs involved. Last summer, the minister told Parliament that cancelling Government concessions on toll roads could cost between 2,000 and 3,000 million euros.


Madrid’s influence

Changes to the transport model are also being driven by the government in Madrid, which is studying changes which will allow it to maintain the road infrastructure while simultaneously meeting European goals regarding deficits. This week Madrid’s El Economista revealed that during negotiations over the budget for 2017, Rajoy’s government is considering introducing the Eurovignette in relation to heavy goods vehicles (above 3.5 tonnes).

The fact that Abertis has changed its strategy is further proof that the model is changing. The leading Spanish company in the sector is focussing its expansion efforts abroad, extending its concessions in France and Puerto Rico, and consolidating its position with new investments in Chile and Italy. Abertis, headed by its CEO Salvador Alemany, also plans to enter the UK market, having submitted a bid for a motorway, the M6 Toll, and the Mexican market, where it sees opportunities for growth. Meanwhile it sees the iconic AP-7 as virtually a lost cause.


THE KEYS


1. Why are there plans to change the model now?

Because of the upcoming expiration of the first concessions. In addition, a period of cutbacks and fiscal adjustments have led the government to rethink its investments in infrastructure and funding its upkeep in particular.

2. What are the leading means of payment?

In Catalonia, a large portion of high-capacity roads are toll roads run by concessions. In Spain, many such roads are toll-free highways that were paid for with public money. Spending cuts led to the search for new systems, such as shadow tolls, whereby the concession holder charges depending on the traffic, not receiving payment directly from the users, but rather from the government.

3. What is the Eurovignette?

It is a model created by the EU whereby heavy goods vehicles pay to use high-capacity routes. The charges help to cover the cost of road maintenance and the impact of transport on the environment.