The 2023 edition had more than 5,600 participants from more than 85 countries. The congress programme was made up of 300 speakers and an exhibition area where more than 250 companies presented their solutions and products.
Under the title “Technology, innovation and strategy for the entire railway supply chain”, the opening and welcoming of the event was made by Sean Willis, Terrapinn Managing Director, and Víctor Ruiz, President of Mafex.
The event was developed with the collaboration of Adif, Renfe, the Spanish Railways Foundation, the Spanish Railways Technological Platform, ICEX, the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Madrid City Council and Metro de Madrid.
A programme full of panels and presentations was presented where businesses, operators, and experts once again shared experiences in a forum where aspects such as R+D, sustainability or safety had a special role. It should be noted that the agenda covered current affairs for the future development of the industry, such as: Liberalisation, Goods, Megaprojects, Metro, Light Rail, Digital Control of Trains and Telecommunications, Sustainability and Energy, BIM, and Digital Transformation, among others. This edition will also refer to the railway sector as an attractive sector for employment and the initiatives that are being carried out to attract and retain talent, as well as the new profiles that need to be incorporated.
Zaragoza will host from 26 to 27 November 2024 the reference event of the railway sector in Spain
Among the main international speakers there were executives from Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), DB Netze (Germany), EFE (Chile), DB Cargo (Scandinavia), Banedanmark (Denmark), Metro SNCF (France), Transport for London (United Kingdom), Mercitalia (Italy), RTA Chicago (USA), and LTG Cargo (Poland) among many others.
The event was also attended by the main national and international businesses in the sector. It is worth noting the sponsoring of companies such as Grupo CAF, NGRT, Talgo, Ineco, ABB, ESRI, Stadler and Thales España, among others, as well as the broad national participation.
As for the exhibition area, more than 250 companies exhibited their latest innovations and presented their technological developments. as well as a dedicated area to host more than 80 start-ups.
n terms of institutional participation, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, who opened the second day of the edition, focused on the railway as “the centrepiece” to achieve a sustainable, healthy, and safe transport and mobility and to decarbonise the economy. Therefore, the Government and the Ministry will continue to commit to its development and the improvement of its reliability and capability. “The railway is a priority for the Spanish Government,” he stated after confirming his “commitment” to its innovative industry and public transport, during his visit to Rail Live!
After his speech, he toured the stands of the fair, where he explained that “the Spanish railway system is a benchmark for its contribution to socio-economic development and the structuring of the territory, its innovative, safe and sustainable nature and its decisive impact on connectivity and connection with the world”. “A success that has been achieved thanks to the policies deployed by the Government and the joint work of administrations and public and private companies, which have made it possible to place the railway industry at the forefront and turn it into an international benchmark for innovation”.
Mafex presented an intense agenda during Rail Live!
As co-organiser of the event, MAFEX presented an intense agenda of activities.
On the first day, Víctor Ruiz, President of the Association, and Sean Willis, Terrapinn Managing Director, launched and welcomed the new edition. During the opening of the second day, Concepción Ortega, Vice-President of Mafex, gave way to the intervention of the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente.
Mafex was also in charge of introducing each of the panels that made up the programme of the “Symposium in Spanish” where the main collaborating entities of the event presented their new developments and discussed the latest trends in the sector. It is worth noting the one referring to: How can I work with the leading companies in the sector? Moderated by Ainara González, Head of Trade Policy and Institutional Relations at Mafex and with the participation of Ricardo Cifré, Purchasing Director of Alstom Spain and Portugal, Elena Moral, CEO of Talgo and Concepción Ortega, Global Market Lead of Idom, which discussed the needs that the leading businesses of the railway industry value chain are having, and how to be part of their network of collaborators.
As for the congress programme, it is worth highlighting on the one hand the panel moderated by the second Vice-President of Mafex, Luis Fernández, on the digital future of the railway: what do operators, infrastructure managers, governments and technology providers need to make it a reality? UNIFE, TMB, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, and Cross River Rail Delivery Authority participated in this panel.
On the other hand, the panel on “National roadmaps on the future deployment of ERTMS” moderated by Garazi Carranza Ruiz de Loizaga, Head of Innovation, included the participation of Finnish Transport, Infrastructure Agency, SBB, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and NS.
As for the objective of giving visibility to the technological capabilities of the Spanish railway industry, Mafex organised two “Innovation tours” in the exhibition area. Two guided tours of the stands of exhibiting member companies that had the opportunity to showcase their product, prototype, technological solution, or innovative service to the audience.
With regards to talent, we organised two student tours of our members’ stands with the Asociación de Centros de Formación Profesional (FPEmpresa) (Vocational Training Centres Association), in addition to promoting, together with Terrapinn, an area dedicated to the human resources teams of the main companies in the industry, and the meeting with students and professionals interested in a career in the railway field.
In the field of internationalisation, Mafex organised together with the German Railway Industry Association on the one hand, a meeting with the delegation of more than 25 German exhibiting companies, and on the other, a working breakfast for the Spanish and Portuguese industry with the Portuguese Railway Platform and AICEP Portugal, which was attended by more than 60 representatives of the railway sector from both countries.
The welcome meeting was attended by Pedro Fortea, General Director of Mafex, Paulo Duarte, General Director of the Portuguese Railway Platform, and the Ambassador of Portugal in Spain, João Mira Gomes.
Fernando Nicolás, International Director of Adif, and Miguel Cruz, Portugal Infrastructure President, also delivered presentations. The session concluded with the signing of a collaboration agreement between the two associations by President João Figueiredo and Second Vice-President of Mafex, Luis Fernández.
It should also be noted that the Royal Tapestry Factory welcomed the main sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, congress delegates and collaborating entities, which hosted more than 300 guests, and the traditional dinner of the railway industry, which brought together more than 100 representatives of the attending companies and delegates of sectoral and business entities.
New edition of Rail Live in 2024, Zaragoza
Zaragoza will host the next edition of the benchmark event for the railway sector in Spain on 26th and 27th November at the city’s Palacio de Congresos (Convention Centre). This new edition is in a congress format.
Currently work is underway on the development of the programme, which will feature more than 250 speakers. The event will once again have the support of Adif, Renfe, the Spanish Railways Foundation, the Spanish Railway Technological Platform, and ICEX. Furthermore, this edition will be joined by the Government of Aragón, Zaragoza City Council and Zaragoza Tram.
More information: https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/rail-live/index.stm
Within the framework of the event, the collaboration agreement that Mafex has with Metrotenerife was once more renewed, and thus the internationalisation of the Spanish railway sector was strengthened.
The objective of this agreement is to establish a stable framework for collaboration between both organisations to support the competitive improvement and internationalisation of both entities as well as the companies associated with the latter. The aim of this alliance is to promote the joint and collaborative development of the Spanish railway industry inside and outside the national territory.
