The Spanish railway industry opens pathways around the world

Dear friends,

A new year begins, full of initiatives to boost our sector throughout the world. From the association, tasks are ongoing intensively to ensure this. One of the final steps is the publication of the report “Mafex.

Characterisation and international presence of its partners This study seeks to provide partners with a general overview of the Spanish rail industry. For this purpose, the most relevant parameters of the companies that are part of the association and develop their activity in this sector have been analysed. Amongst them, aggregate business figures, number of employees, volume and destination of exports or international presence.

In the last months of 2017, the association has also been present in the main institutional events that have had the railway as their focal point. On the one hand, the submission of the “Plan for the Internationalization of Transport and Infrastructure 2018-2020” of the Group of Public Works; which seeks to promote joint endeavours between the private sector and public companies under the auspice of The Ministry of Public Works to gain standing abroad. On the other hand, the conference on ‘Spanish companies, at the forefront of state-of- the-art railways’, in which the weight of this sector in the Spain Brand was highlighted. Likewise, in this issue Mafex informs of the latest details of the “14th

World Metro & Light Rail Bilbao 2018″, with little more than three months prior to its doors opening. In the section entitled “Partner News”, the latest news from 14 of the associated companies can be found, which the spotlight is on their progress and consolidation: achievement of new contracts, changes within the organisation, anniversaries, etc. In the section “In depth”, a report is included on one of the most important rail projects in Europe; Rail Baltica, a modern corridor that will integrate Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into the European network and that will bring about significant change in terms of mobility.

On the other hand, the first issue of the Mafex magazine of the year focuses its “Destination” report in one of the emerging areas with the best prospects for the sector, Southeast Asia. Specifically, a comprehensive article on future infrastructure plans approved in the Philippines and Indonesia. Alongside this, there are eight technological advances that are detailed in “Innovation” and that highlight the importance that R + D + i holds in associated companies.

We hope, once again, that this year 2018 you will continue to rely on Mafex magazine as a communication tool so that you can learn first- hand all the news of the railway industry and the contribution of Spanish companies to its development throughout the world.