Railway companies ‘applaud’ the removal of access fees to the port of Sines

The Portuguese Association of Railway Companies (APEF) “applauded” this Thursday the suspension of access fees to the railway terminal in the port of Sines (Setúbal) next year, which the port authority confirmed this Thursday to the Lusa agency.

In a statement, APEF said it welcomed the decision of the Port Authority of Sines and Algarve (APS) and argued that the application of this tariff “will cause market distortions and negative discrimination, especially in relation to more sustainable development.” like a train.

According to the association, the introduction of this fee, levied since the beginning of the year on railway transport companies for the entry of each train into the railway terminal of the port of Sines, has led to the penalization of railway operators “in comparison with road operators who have access every day” to this port.

“Railway operators have never been against paying a fee for the service provided if it is justified and applied in an equivalent manner to road transport,” the APEF statement explains.

However, he noted that if the tariff were applied, “only the railway would be punished, which is contrary to everything that the supervisory authority and the European Commission protect.”

According to Miguel Rebelo de Souza, executive director of the association, quoted in the same note, “the application of this fee was not in line with the goals set for the decarbonization of the sector and the policies defined by the European Commission regarding intermodality and modal transition.” “.

“Fortunately, the port of Sines decided not to take this measure, thereby promoting the competitiveness of the railway and the Sines logistics corridor,” he said.

The official also welcomed the port authority’s decision to refund amounts accrued to companies during 2023.

“APEF members have been informed that amounts accrued to them during 2023 will be refunded, which is a very positive and serious decision on the part of APS,” he said.

The port of Sines (Setúbal) has decided to suspend the tariff levied on rail freight transport companies in 2024, arguing that the measure will affect importing and exporting companies that use this logistics corridor.

When contacted by Lusa, APS explained in a written response that the decision to suspend the procedure next year was based on “instability and decline” in global markets.

The Office of Mobility and Transport (AMT), in a statement, also announced the decision of the APS to suspend the current procedure and not apply any incentives for the use of the Sines port railway complex in 2024.

According to the AMT, which noted the suspension of the measure “very positively”, the APS also decided to refund the amounts collected from rail freight operators in the current year, 2023.