Renfe’s Toll Debate: Impacts on Rails, Energy, and Emissions Across Spain

The toll on highways has ripple effects on rail transport, creating a secondary impact on Renfe as toll policies shift. A future without highway tolls on the Mediterranean corridor would likely affect long-distance routes from Barcelona and could trim revenues by as much as 20%. Renfe faces passenger declines and income pressure if tolls are not balanced with rail pricing strategies. The company is also contending with higher electricity costs and is exploring owning energy sources to cushion the financial hit.

fuel price factor

Renfe evaluated how energy price movements would affect demand on Spain’s main routes. When fuel costs rise, train use increases modestly. A 30% fuel price rise could lift rail use by about 3%. Electricity costs accounted for roughly 7% to 20% of train operating expenses in 2019, constrained by competition that limited price adjustments. Between 2019 and the first quarter of 2022, the bill payable nearly doubled, from 78 million to 162 million. Renfe’s president outlined a plan to generate its own energy, including a 550‑megawatt installation across 76 facilities with a 329 million euro investment. This self-consumption project is expected to reduce bills and potentially pay for itself within three years under current price projections.

In this context, Renfe hints at re-regulating highway tolls, though Táboas stated a preference against lowering rail fares or imposing tolls on highways. He acknowledged concerns about tolls in the rail sector and emphasized that any wage changes should consider broader effects on demand. The core aim is to strengthen customer loyalty and elevate service quality across Renfe’s network.

The move toward better payment systems, including direct ticket payments with credit cards and biometric checks at access points, is viewed as a pivotal factor in modernizing customer experience and streamlining revenue collection.

The advent of high‑speed competition has driven more passengers on certain routes but also lowered prices. Táboas noted that liberalization, toll removal, and traffic congestion on roads reshaped public transport demand.

A demand that moves differently

Táboas observes that demand patterns vary, with fewer late-afternoon movements and more trips around midday, such as between 2 and 3 p.m. Renfe still expects to return to 2019 passenger levels by year’s end, though commercial segments have not recovered fully, with a roughly 16% shortfall possibly linked to teleworking trends.

Renfe’s analysis suggests the railway could maintain 2019 revenue if tolls were kept soft at 2 eurocents per kilometer for Long Distance and 4 eurocents per kilometer for Medium Distance. Abolishing tolls would be particularly detrimental to demand on the Mediterranean corridor and other long‑distance routes from Barcelona, with anticipated reductions up to 20% in journeys and revenue. The environmental impact of toll removal is notable, as shifted traffic would place more emphasis on rail’s lower emissions profile.

pay per vignette

An annual vignette system for road use has been proposed but would not favor rail transport. Proponents suggest a traditional annual payment as early as 2024, yet the government would need a clear framework to enforce such arrangements. A 50 euro annual cap per vehicle for road users is a point of discussion that Renfe views skeptically due to potential revenue pressures.

Historical analysis of the 2019 baseline indicates that to avoid passenger and revenue losses, an average toll of 2 euro cents per kilometer for long distance and 4 euro cents per kilometer for medium distance appears necessary. Falling below these thresholds risks a 3% to 4% drop in long‑haul passengers and revenue, and a 6% to 7% drop on medium-haul routes.

less emissions

The broader system would still face emissions challenges without tolls. Current projections estimate roughly 32,000 tons of CO2 annually, comparable to the annual electricity emissions of around 120,000 people in cities like Cádiz, León, or Tarragona. External costs from traffic accidents, noise, and road occupation compound the environmental case for rail. The analysis covers main long- and medium-haul routes and explores various toll scenarios and payment levels.

Under an 8 euro‑cent per kilometer toll, approximately 11% of long‑distance passengers and revenue would be captured on the main 56 lines, with an 8% impact on the 53 medium‑distance lines. At a uniform 2 euro cent per kilometer across the road network, rail would hold 2019 travel and income levels, while each additional toll point could raise demand by about two percentage points, up to a potential 7% income lift with higher tolls.

traffic loss

The suspension of tolls is linked to reductions in rail traffic on the Mediterranean corridor and other long‑distance routes from Barcelona. For instance, removing tolls on Barcelona‑Valencia and Barcelona‑Alicante could reduce demand on the Barcelona‑Murcia route by about 19% and increase CO2 emissions by 900 tons, with significant shifts on other corridors. The Barcelona–Zaragoza route could experience notable traffic losses, while the AP‑7 reduction in tolls between Tarragona and Castellón could slash rail demand by around 13% on the Barcelona‑Valencia corridor, tied to changes in project timetables and route options.

Positive effect on certain routes

Some routes would see a positive impact even at lower toll levels. For example, routes such as Huelva–Madrid, Almería–Madrid, Cantabria–Madrid, Barcelona–Navarra, Seville–Valencia, Córdoba–Valencia, Castellón–Madrid, and Alicante–Madrid could gain in passenger numbers, with gains seen as tolls reach modest levels. At higher tolls, rail routes would still benefit on select corridors but with different magnitudes. If tolls reach 4 euro cents per kilometer uniformly, travel levels are expected to stabilize at 2019 counts, while higher tolls could push growth up to 7% in income and passenger numbers on major lines, with environmental impacts improving as tolls provide an economic signal for cleaner transport.

Overall, the analysis notes a nuanced balance: light tolls may preserve baseline travel while moderately increasing demand, whereas higher tolls can drive growth on certain routes yet risk dampening overall rail usage on long-haul connections. The environmental upside hinges on steering traffic away from cars toward rail, leveraging rail’s lower emissions profile to offset higher operating costs.