Rail Transportation in Spain

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By continuing to innovate, Spanish companies are able to grow along with the rapidly increasing market. Talgo, for example, is providing trains for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the former Yugoslavia, where the rebuilding of the rail system reflects the advent of peace and economic development.

The project originated in 2000. “We took a train over— the first train to run on the line again after the war in Croatia and Bosnia–Herzegovina,” says Oriol. “And during the test run we were guarded, leaving one station in Bosnia by helicopters from the Spanish army, which had been involved in humanitarian activities there. That was the project’s kickoff.”

Having worked with the conditions in Spain–steep mountains, tracks that curve around various topographical impediments– Talgo was well prepared for the mountainous geography of the Balkans. The company had developed lightweight aluminum trains with articulated cars, so that a train can be indivisible instead of comprising different segments. Thanks to its system of wheels that are mounted in pairs but not joined by axles, the wheels move along the track independently, leading to a more comfortable ride. These elements save energy, lower costs, and make trains faster, safer, and more comfortable.

“Our lightweight technology and independent and guided wheel system were ideal for that area,” says Oriol. “In Bosnia, they found these trains quite interesting, because they saw that without any investment in infrastructure, the trains still reduced journey times by 20 to 30 percent.” Talgo is supplying 81 passenger coaches, which will form nine trains.

Oriol says this project has important implications in the region: “Bosnia–Herzegovina is actually going to reëstablish all railway connections that existed in Yugoslavia before the war, from Sarajevo to Zagreb in Croatia, to Slovenia, to Belgrade in Serbia.” The trains will be delivered in 2010, after track rehabilitation is complete.

The company also supplied trains to oil-rich Kazakhstan, which recently moved its capital from the south to the north. The previous Soviet-era train could make the journey in 21 hours, but Talgo trains reduce the ride to 13 hours, so an overnight train can bring workers from the newly designated capital back to their families down south for the weekend.

The weather extremes in Kazakhstan–from 45 oC (113 oF) in the summer to –45 oC (-49 oF) in the winter–posed technical challenges for Talgo engineers. They created a floating elevated floor to avoid touching the frame, which is exposed to the elements. They used different components and different steel alloys. “Basically, it was a complete redesign,” says Oriol. The trains were delivered in 2003 and have been running smoothly, sun or snow. The gauge-switching trains for which Talgo is best known could also be useful should Kazakhstan and China decide to link lines, since China uses a narrower rail gauge than Kazakhstan.

Funding the Growth

When it comes to financing, one of the trends taking place around the world is the privatization of public projects. A company, instead of the government, will supply all the necessary development funds for a project such as a new highway. The company– or companies–will then be repaid through the tolls or fares that would traditionally go back to government coffers.

This approach is becoming especially popular in countries where cash for up-front investments is scarce. CAF, which has been working in Mexico for 14 years, won the 30-year concession for the new suburban train line from Mexico City out into the surrounding state. The company is responsible not only for supplying the trains but for overseeing the construction, signaling, and telecommunications–all the necessary aspects of developing a new train line. Companies involved in the project as subcontractors include construction company OHL for the civil works, Indra for ticketing, Thales for signaling and telecommunications, Inabensa for electrification, and Telvent for the control center.

CAF sees this as a strategic beginning. “We saw that there was a lack of funds for investment [in Mexico],” says Luis Giralt, CAF’s international director for Latin America, “but certainly no lack of a need for this type of transport.”

After two years of construction, the line began operation in the spring of 2008. “Before, passengers along this line took an hour an a half to get into Mexico City,” says Giralt. “Now the commute takes only 25 to 27 minutes.” CAF has managed to hold down prices to match those on the bus line.

“The response so far has been very positive,” Giralt says. “People see that the trains are modern and air conditioned, and they get from home to work much faster and much more comfortably than before.”

India, which is planning a multibillion-dollar upgrade and expansion of freight and passenger rail, is also investigating concessions as a means of financing, constructing, and supplying the rail lines. Isolux Corsán, a top Spanish construction company that also specializes in engineering, electrical wiring, and signaling, looks forward to the potential. “They’re planning concessions in railway stations, for freight corridors,” says international-business director Álvaro Rengifo. “We have local partners and are getting ready.”

The company already has rail projects in development around the world. Rengifo says that experience with all aspects of rail development along Spain’s high-speed corridors has helped Isolux Corsán grow internationally and win concessions abroad.

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