Óscar Puente highlights the success of the Spanish railway model and the international interest it attracts

The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, during his speech at the 'Global Rail Transport Infrastructure Exhibition and Conferences'

The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has highlighted in Abu Dhabi the success of the Spanish railway model and the interest it attracts at international level due to the high levels of design and quality of the rolling stock, infrastructures and technological systems.

"The Spanish railway model is a model of success. A model that can be exported everywhere", said the minister during his speech at the opening ceremony of the transport and railway infrastructure fair Global Rail Transport Infrastructure Exhibition and Conferences, currently being held in the United Arab Emirates.

Building the second most extensive high-speed network in the world, which connects 70% of the population, with high quality, affordable cost and relatively fast delivery times and without major budgetary deviations, has facilitated the development of a Spanish railway industry that is a world leader and in great demand at international level.

"We are operating the high-speed train between Mecca and Medina with great success; we are present in the development of Rail Baltica, the biggest high-speed project in the EU; and in Nepal, the Spanish railway and its industry are in demand", the minister listed.

He recalled that the knowledge and experience of Spanish companies is available to all countries to develop sustainable and decarbonised transport.

"Spain is at the forefront and we want to be wherever there are opportunities. And, of course, that means here: in the United Arab Emirates. I would like to applaud this country for its courageous wager on the railway and high-speed railways", the minister stated.

In this regard, he used his speech to defend that the railway is essential to achieve sustainable and competitive transport, a key combination to guarantee the future of mobility and logistics in the midst of the ecological transition, applauding the ambitious wager of the United Arab Emirates to develop the train.

"Rail must be at the heart of the transport of the future. I conceive the future with the railway as the backbone of a sustainable and competitive transport system, an idea that we have been developing in Spain for decades", he asserted.

Spanish companies

Following the opening ceremony, the minister visited the fair's pavilions and toured the stands of Spanish companies which, together with others from around the world, are exhibiting the latest technological innovations in the railway industry, with a focus on digitalisation, automation, sustainability and intelligent and intermodal mobility. Among the Spanish companies and associations taking part in the event are Mafex, Sener, Renfe, Ineco, Indra, Talgo, Caf and Danovant.

Notably on this point, within the framework of the fair, Renfe's president, Raül Blanco, took part in a panel on automation in which he highlighted the importance of this type of innovation to guarantee the competitiveness and future of the train. To this effect, the operator is taking part in the development and testing of pilot solutions for technologies such as AI, Big Data and machine learning to accelerate automation in the railway sector, within the framework of large consortium projects with other European operators, such as Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking.

Renfe has been working for years in cooperation with the area's main players in the sector, and is making progress in the process of creating a branch in the United Arab Emirates to equip it with the structure needed to allow it to develop its projects in this country and increase its competitiveness in terms of securing new business opportunities.

Non official translation