Alstom
Successful year and a half of trial operation of the world’s first two hydrogen trains
After 530 days and more than 180,000 driven kilometres, the successful trial operation of the world’s first two hydrogen trains was officially completed. Alstom’s Coradia iLint model is a sustainable and efficient alternative to diesel-powered trains. Despite the various electrification projects ongoing in several European countries, a good part of the European railway network will continue being catenaryless. In Spain, for example, there are still more than 5,000 km of non-electrified lines and more than 200 diesel traction trains running on those lines.
The Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which produces electrical power for traction. This zero-emission train emits low levels of noise, with exhaust being only steam and condensed water. Performance match that of regular diesel multiple units, with a maximum speed of 140 km/h and comparable and acceleration and a range of 1,000 kilometres.
Ardanuy Ingeniería
Ardanuy Ingeniería: Leader in R&D Projects for Greater Transport Sustainability
Ardanuy Ingeniería is involved in various Innovation Projects aimed at improving Safety and Energy Efficiency in Railway Networks. Four of these projects are part of the EU’s R&D Program, Shift2Rail: ETALON (Energy Storage for Signalling and Communication Systems), Astrail (Signalling and Automation Technologies) Mistral (Communication System of the Future) and Optima (Platform for Reinforcing Connections Associated with Traffic Control and Coordination Systems).
The Engineering Consultancy Firm also contributes to bolstering Sustainable Mobility with Research Projects such as the Electromobility Study for Public Transport in Latin America, commissioned by the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF). Apart from these works, the Company has also been involved in Project Design and Works Supervision for the implementation of Metro, Light Rail, Tram and Cable Car Networks in numerous countries around the world. These Projects are carried out conjointly with Ardanuy’s Delegations and Subsidiaries distributed throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia.
CAF
Metro Medellín, a reference in sustainable mobility
The city of Medellín in Colombia has become a benchmark in sustainable public transport systems in recent years. Its metro system, integrated with other means of transport such as the Metrocable and an articulated bus network, has been key to meeting the mobility challenges and the development of the city. Thanks to the metro, users can move quickly, efficiently and economically.
CAF has been the supplier of the Inneo metro units for this system. The design of these trains allows significant energy savings thanks to the provision of wide passenger areas and the optimization of passenger capacity per unit. These units are equipped with highly efficient traction equipment that allows minimizing energy losses and optimizing consumption. Furthermore, CAF places a special emphasis on the recyclability and recoverability of the materials used in the manufacture of its trains.
COMSA
RESILTRACK, COMSA Corporación’s commitment to predictive maintenance
Sustainability and responsible growth have always been hallmarks of COMSA Corporación. In recent years, the group has reinforced its commitment to this field through the participation in projects whose main goal is to respond to the challenge posed by sustainable mobility in the infrastructure sector.
In this context, the group leads a consortium of companies that collaborate in the RESILTRACK program to develop simulation and predictive maintenance tools that provide railway infrastructure resilience to climate change. The designed system offers information in real time about the state of the infrastructure and its affectation regarding adverse climatic phenomena, as well as to foresee the performance of the infrastructure to act where necessary.
IDOM
Sustainability as a means of transport
Sustainability mobility data
With our sights set on a sustainable future, we provide our clients with bold and innovative engineering solutions that ensure financial, social, and environmental sustainability.
In Latin America, countries like Colombia or Chile have signed up to this challenge. IDOM is working in these countries at intuitional and business level, collaborating to reach this goal. In the Medellin Metro project, innovation has become a key tool for the growth and sustainability of this type of transport in the city. IDOM was called on to make it happen. We have worked on projects such as the AV80 tram, the Ayacucho Tram and the design of the expansion of the Tulio Ospina depot and workshops.
The mobility solutions incorporated in the Medellin Metro means that an amount of diesel equivalent to filling 110 Olympic-sized swimming pools has not been used. In addition, emission of almost 23,000t of pollutants and more than 750,000t of CO2 have not been released into the atmosphere.
Indra
Prointec (Indra) contribuirá al diseño sostenible de Rail Baltica
Prointec, la filial de ingeniería civil de Indra, junto con OBERMEYER Planen + Beraten GmbH, será responsable del diseño y supervisión del proyecto durante la construcción del tramo entre la ciudad estonia de Pärnu y la frontera con Letonia de Rail Baltica, el mayor proyecto de infraestructuras ferroviarias en Europa.
La nueva red ferroviaria contará con ecoductos, pasajes especiales para el cruce de animales sobre la vía, 11 de ellos en el tramo que diseña Prointec. La red estará completamente electrificada y contará con las tecnologías y materiales más innovadores para evitar emisiones, reducir ruido y vibraciones. Está planificada para evitar las áreas protegidas Natura 2000, en la medida de lo posible, y no tendrá un impacto significativo en otras áreas protegidas ambientalmente sensibles.
INGETEAM
INGETEAM Power electronics solutions for rail sustainability
INGETEAM offers energy efficient solutions through mastering electric power conversion, research of new components and development of new products.
-INGETRAC Power converters for rolling stock, based on power modules that guarantee power density and minimize energy losses to optimize performance, thanks to state-of-the-art components and configurations.
-INGEBER converters allow the energy recovery from regenerative braking. The consumption reduction allows better energy efficiency and reduction of CO2 emissions (example: 400 Tns of CO2 /year for 1 INGEBER- 3.000 Vdc system)
SICE
ADIF makes headway towards the “station of the future”: sustainable, resilient, and connected
The Board of Directors of ADIF Alta Velocidad has granted SICE the contract of the fixed and WiFi telecommunications networks in the ADIF passenger stations of Córdoba, Málaga and Sevilla.
This project is part of ADIF’s goal to achieve an exchange of information between the smart platforms of the station and the city, which will be based on five pillars: inter-mobility, tourism, hyper-connectivity, sustainability and safety.
A fixed telecommunications network will be designed and deployed by SICE, to implement a network to access data within the station. It also includes the implementation of a WiFi-based wireless telecommunications network, which will provide connectivity to the internal services of ADIF and the rail operators rendering service at the station.
This project will also involve an improvement of our anti-COVID safety protocols, minimizing contact with passengers, expediting boarding processes and promoting the use of paper-less or electronic train tickets, in a clear commitment to sustainability and minimization of waste.
Stadler
Stadler’s new trains for more sustainable mobility
Stadler builds trains putting reliability, flexibility and innovation into practice. We are constantly improving the performance and efficiency of our trains using state-of-the-art technologies such as the bi-mode traction and the use of batteries. These new traction technologies are an innovative and cost-effective way of providing an environmentally-friendly service by enabling ‘smart electrification’ of the infrastructure.
EURODUAL is the technological response of Stadler to the challenges posed by rail freight transport in Europe. This bi-mode locomotive is already operating in France and Germany. It offers the possible savings on the energy consumption bill and the environmental benefits (no exhaust gas and CO2 emissions) of an electric locomotive and the flexibility of diesel locomotives to optimize transport routes.
FLIRT, Stadler’s best-selling passenger train family with almost 2,000 vehicles in more than 20 countries, can already be found as FLIRT BMU (diesel + electric) operating in Italy and in the UK. Wales region will be the first to enjoy the tri-mode version of the FLIRT, capable of running on diesel, overhead electric wires and battery power, as well as the hybrid CITYLINK battery-powered train-tram vehicles. Other developments include the battery-powered FLIRT AKKU, which is being tested in Germany, and the WINK low-floor regional train for secondary lines that will start operating this year in the Netherlands
Tekniker
The STEFAN Project aims to reduce noise and tribological wear in metro applications
The STEFAN project (“Soluciones Tribológicas en el Sector Ferroviario”) began on January 1st of 2020 with the aim of optimizing critical tribological systems in rail transport by developing new components, materials, lubricants, rail solutions, etc; for wheel-rail and grease box bearing systems. The project is considered in a multidisciplinary dimension: encompassing not only tribology, but also sensorization, intelligent maintenance, IoT; implemented with the BIM methodology.
The project will be carried out by a consortium made up of 5 companies with the support of a scientific committee made up of Metro Barcelona and Metro Sevilla. The companies are IDP, ArcelorMittal, Brugarolas, NBI Bearings Europe S.A. and Grupo Técnico RIVI. The consortium and the scientific committee will have the collaboration of the Tekniker technology center and the Polytechnic University of Valencia.