MSC's MEDLOG takes 40% stake in Vitoria-Júndiz rail terminal consortium

MEDLOG Spain Logistic, the inland arm of MSC Group, will hold the largest stake — 40% — in the consortium that Spanish infrastructure manager Adif has picked to run the Vitoria-Júndiz intermodal rail terminal. The award, made to a joint venture called TERMINAL INTERMODAL JÚNDIZ, pairs the shipping giant's logistics unit with the port authorities of Bilbao and Pasaia and regional institutions in Álava.

The numbers behind the deal are ambitious. The contract runs six years initially, extendable to a maximum of 20, and the consortium projects roughly 300,000 intermodal transport units (ITUs) handled across the first six-year term. That trajectory starts at 15,000 ITUs in year one, climbs to 45,000 in year two, then settles at 60,000 ITUs annually for each of the following four years — against just 4,723 ITUs moved through the terminal in 2025. Those figures are the consortium's projections, not confirmed throughput.

Who owns what in the consortium?

• MEDLOG Spain Logistic (MSC Group): 40% — the leading stake
• Bilbao Port Authority: 25%
• Vitoria-Gasteiz Intermodal Transport Centre (CTV): 15%
• Álava Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services: 15%
• Pasaia Port Authority: 2.5%
• Servicios Intermodales Bilbaoport (Sibport): 2.5%

The shareholding structure is notable for what it combines: a carrier-affiliated logistics operator, two public port authorities and regional economic bodies inside a single terminal management vehicle. For MSC, it extends MEDLOG's grip on Iberian inland rail capacity. For Bilbao and Pasaia, it locks a major shipping group's cargo into their hinterland connections.

What does the terminal actually offer?

The site spans roughly 55,000 square metres. Within that, a 36,000-square-metre concrete handling area forms the operational core, served by three dead-end railway tracks with electrified sections at their termini. Supporting infrastructure includes internal roads, an administration and services building, and separate parking areas for heavy and light vehicles.

Location is the asset. The Júndiz logistics hub sits on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and occupies a strategic position on the Atlantic Corridor. It also marks the starting point of the Vitoria–San Sebastián–Bayonne–Bordeaux cross-border section, linking freight networks across northern Spain and southwestern France. That geography positions the terminal as a rail gateway between Basque ports and French distribution markets.

Why Bilbao pushed for this

For the Port of Bilbao, the contract is a hinterland play. The port gains direct influence over an inland terminal that can feed rail shuttles to and from its quays, deepening rail-based freight connections and extending its catchment beyond road-dependent trucking corridors.

Ivan Jimenez Aira, President of the Bilbao Port Authority, made the commercial case plain. "The final award of the Júndiz rail terminal contract is wonderful news for Álava, the Basque Country and the Port of Bilbao," he said, calling it "recognition of a solid and ambitious project, the result of collaboration between public institutions and private companies that share the same strategic vision."

Jimenez also stressed better rail connectivity and more competitive logistics services for companies operating in the region — the practical benefit shippers in Álava and the wider Basque Country will judge the venture by.

What happens next

The consortium's stated goals are to lift rail freight activity, sharpen regional logistics competitiveness and cement Álava's role as an inland freight hub serving the Atlantic Corridor. The immediate test comes in year one: turning a terminal that moved fewer than 5,000 ITUs in 2025 toward a 15,000-unit start, with a twelvefold volume jump targeted within six years.