The Sixth International Railway Convention held by mafex gathered delegates from 30 countries and more than 125 senior managers of the Spanish industry in Valencia.
Valencia has played host to the “6th International Railway Convention” held by Mafex. A global event that has become a benchmark of the sector. Once again, the industry has welcomed this biennial initiative gathering delegates from 31 countries and more than 125 Senior Managers from Spanish companies and organizations.
The opening ceremony was attended by the State Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing, Julio Gómez-Pomar, the Minister of Housing, Public Works and Integration of the National Territory of Valencia’s Regional Government, María José Salvador, the CEO of Icex, Francisco Javier Garzón and the President of Mafex, Víctor Ruiz.
During his speech, Gómez-Pomar recalled the importance of Spanish railway companies, which are essential for their “contribution to economic growth and outreach”. For this reason, he stressed out that this sector is “a priority” for the Ministry of Development and that the investment amounts to 50% of its budget. He also emphasized that this is an industry with a “strong and reinforced model and one of the best ambassadors of our country”.
On the other hand, María José Salvador highlighted the train’s value on the international map in regions like Valencia. In this regard, she said that they want the Community to be a European “logistical leader” in railway transport for its strategic situation, from the parameters of environmental sustainability. Salvador recalled the importance of the development of new infrastructures, such as the Mediterranean Corridor as its maximum strategic reference.
The President of Mafex, Víctor Ruiz, thanked the institutions for their support in the sector and attendance at the convention. He also recalled the importance of establishing “state policies for clear, stable and sustainable railway investments that allow companies involved in the sector to be able to scale and establish strategies to accompany the national railway development.”
Extensive Program of Presentations
As on previous occasions, the Convention represented an opportunity to take the pulse of the sector and open up new business opportunities abroad. All this, in a format of technological knowledge with an extensive program of conferences and meetings.
Among the Spanish companies that gave lectures during the Convention we can mention IDOM, Typsa, SENER, Ardanuy, Getinsa-Euroestudios, CAF Rail Services, Bombardier, Nem Solutions, Tecnatom, Thales España, Stadler Rail Valencia, Indra, Alstom, Arcelormittal, Jez Sitemas Ferroviarios, SICE, CEIT-IK4, La Farga Lacambra, Danobat and TRN Ingeniería. They have all given a good example of technological advances developed by the industry associated to Mafex, as well as its extensive international implementation as leader in R & D in railway projects of great scale and complexity. Special mention should also be made to the companies that have sponsored the event: CAF, Amurrio, Ingeteam, Stadler Rail Valencia and Zitron.
Conference Panels
On the one hand, the first day’s panel focused on the planning of public transport systems, criteria for the design of high-speed networks, the global leadership of European industry, as well as aspects related to the railway maintenance organization and design. In addition to the companies’ presentations, Senior Managers of main administrations and institutions from countries like Canada, the United States, Lithuania and Egypt have also participated in.
The program of the second session began with the presentation of railway projects developed by Mafex’s partners. Afterwards, the discussions were focused on current issues, such as the criteria for the design of stations and the exhibition of projects by international guests from the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Panama and Argentina. Thirdly, the panels analyzed the new digital gauging control and maintenance solutions. At the same time, the last panel addressed highly topical aspects such as the special features of tramways and light rails, the tools for the optimization and management of railway systems, new stocks, as well as tests and technologies associated with energy efficiency. The presentations were also related to cybersecurity, advances in ticketing and passenger information systems.
Finally, the closing ceremony was held by the President of EURIF, Antonio Arribas and and the Manager of Mafex, Pedro Fortea. Both thanked the high level of participation of representatives from around the world, the institutional support and the good development of conferences and professional meetings. They also invited attendees to join the future conventions held by Mafex. At the same time, during the days of the event, individual meetings were held between the foreign guests and the representatives of the participating Spanish companies and organizations, with the aim of strengthening commercial links and exploring opportunities for cooperation. The work program also included a technical visit to the tramway and metro of Valencia and another visit to the Adif Control Center. In addition, after the three-day conference in Valencia, international participants had the opportunity to travel through different cities and to see first-hand more than 15 centers and facilities of the main railway companies in the sector.
Extensive Institutional Support
The sixth edition of the event counted on the collaboration of numerous institutions and organizations, to which the organization thanked their support. Among them, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV), METROVALENCIA, TMB, Adif, RENFE and international railway associations, such as UNIFE, ALAMYS and EURIF.