(29/06/2012)  For these companies that employ a combined total of 69,500 people, of whom 19,000 work in the railway industry, the main export markets were France, Turkey, Italy, Mexico and Brazil, followed by Germany, Algeria, Venezuela, United Kingdom and Chile.

In recent years, and especially since 2004, the Spanish railway industry’s exports have grown constantly thanks to its focus on the foreign market and the concerted efforts of agents and institutions to raise the profile of Spanish firms, whose technological solutions and high standards of service enable them to compete all over the world.

Process

This process of internationalization of the Spanish railway industry began when large companies, civil construction firms and train manufacturers opened up markets by carrying out numerous major international projects, ranging from the supply of rolling stock to the execution of turnkey projects.

The latest successes are the result of this internationalization strategy, prime examples being the first high-speed line in Turkey, the large-scale Medina-Mecca project in Saudi Arabia, or the gradual development and spread of metro networks in South America.

In addition, the auxiliary industries of infrastructure and rolling stock have introduced far-reaching technological innovations such as lighter materials and components, new equipment, design of switches and crossings for the world’s highest speeds, or improved ticketing, communication and security systems.

High speed and metropolitan networks

The recent contract for the construction and operation of the Mecca-Medina high-speed line has confirmed the international scope of these great advances which have been developed by the Spanish railway industry in recent years.

This contract, the biggest ever awarded to a Spanish consortium in the railway sphere, will boost the chances of securing other large-scale projects such as the high-speed corridors in the United States and Brazil.

 In parallel, Spanish companies have demonstrated their capacity to carry out major projects in any railway-related sphere, whether it be high speed, underground or suburban rail, light trains, freight transport, to name but a few, and in all the segments of activity they encompass: construction of infrastructures, consulting and engineering, signalling, maintenance, safety, vehicle manufacture, etc.

Projects throughout the world

The Spanish railway industry’s technology, knowhow and experience are present in transport networks in many parts of the United States, Latin America, Asia and Africa, and the list of countries that receive Spanish railway trains, systems and services has grown considerably over the last few years.

In Latin America, Spanish companies have participated in the most important railway projects carried out in recent years, such as the Buenavista-Cautitlán Suburban Train (Mexico), the Sao Paulo Metro and Commuter Rail networks (Brazil), the metro networks of Medellín (Colombia) and Santiago de Chile (Chile) and the modernization of rolling stock for the Argentine rail network, among others.

In the United States, projects have been carried out for the metro systems of New York, Miami, Washington, St. Louis, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Sacramento, and for Houston’s light rail network, among others.

The Americas are served by more than 25 Spanish railway companies from all areas of the railway industry, from train manufacturers to engineering firms and suppliers of auxiliary products and services, including the following: Talgo, Albatros, Actia Systems, Amurrio Ferrocarril y Equipos, Arcelormittal, Ayesa, Construcciones y Auxiliar de ferrocarriles (CAF), Danobat Group Railways, Eahsa Smart Grid, Fainsa, Felguera Melt, Hicasa-Hierros y Carbones, Idom Ingeniería y Consultoría, Ineco, Indra Sistemas, Ikusi-Ángel Iglesias, Industrias E. Díaz, Jez Sistemas Ferroviarios, Klk Electromateriales, Manusa Door Systems, MGN Transformaciones del Caucho, Nem Solutions, Revenga Ingenieros, Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas, Telvent, Thales España GRP and Traintic.

In Asia, Spanish firms are especially keen to participate in new infrastructure projects, which include, among others, the Gulf Railway, the new 1,500 kilometre mixed network for 200 km/h high-speed services and freight transport in the Arab Emirates, the Oman rail network, or the modernization of Egypt’s signalling system and the development of its future high-speed plans.
In Turkey, Spanish railway industry firms have been playing a very significant role in projects such as the first high-speed train linking Ankara and Istanbul and the metro networks in Antalya and the Turkish capital.

Europe

In Europe, cutting-edge technology is exported to countries such as France, Germany, Russia and Poland, both for their new high-speed networks and for the modernization of metro and commuter rail systems.

The industry also cooperates with the railway authorities, which has resulted in the development of important innovations such as the world’s most technologically advanced railway management platform, the Da Vinci system, patented by Adif (the Spanish infrastructure manager) and developed in collaboration with Indra. This system has already been implemented by the railway administrations of Lithuania and Morocco, Medellín Metro and London Underground (Metronet).