THE TRADE FAIR, ENTITLED RAILWAY URBAN TRANSPORTATION CONGRESS WILL BE HELD AT THE BEC, BILBAO EXHIBITION CENTRE, ON THE 18TH AND 19TH OF APRIL. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE SECTOR ANALYSE THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY AND DISCOVER FIRST-HAND THE MOST CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES OF THE INDUSTRY.
The organisation of ‘Live Rail’, a trade fair within which the ‘14th World Metro & Light Rail Bilbao 2018’ is framed, a little more than a few days before its celebration, enters its final phase. Work is being undertaken on finalising the details of the programme of one of the standout international professional events devoted to underground, light rail and regional rail networks. Representatives from more than 98 countries can find out more about the latest technological advances in the sector in the exhibition area. Furthermore, an extensive programme of simultaneous conferences has been prepared in which approximately 150 international speakers will give addresses.
For the first time, and after the recent events held in London, hosting will shift to Bilbao. It has the sup- port of Mafex, the Spanish Railway Association, in the organisation of the event, as well as the support of the Basque Government, the SPRI Group, ETS, Euskotren, Metro Bilbao and the collaboration of Adif and Renfe.
Railway operators, builders and suppliers, and senior management from underground and light rail systems will join together in Bilbao in this annual meeting to draw conclusions regarding the present and future of urban rail transport. Under the title “Innovation, Technology, Action”, the event will host for two days a broad debate on the present and future of global public transport. The organisation has put together an intense agenda that will begin on April 17 with prior working sessions between delegates and companies.
The discussion forums will focus on key aspects for the future of public transport such as: sustainability strategies, advances in control systems, improvements in mobility and associated services, as well as evolution of the IoT, in the world of transport. For this reason, there will be presentations and case studies of relevant urban rail transport entities such as Transport for London, entity in charge of public transport in the city of London, Metro Los Angeles, Metrolinx of Canada, to name just a few examples.
The official inauguration of the event will be entrusted to the Basque President, Iñigo Urkullu. Af- terwards, the event will continue with a special panel formed by the four highest ranking officials at ETS, Euskotren, Metro Bilbao and Grupo SPRI under the banner: “Strategy in Innovation of Public Transport of the Basque Country”, where Alex Arriola, from Grupo SPRI, Eneko Arruebarrena, from Metro Bilbao, Imanol Leza, from Euskotren and Aitor Garitano from ETS will present the Bas- que Government’s commitment to innovation in the sector as well as a sustainable and integrated transport model as an instrument of social cohesion and socio-economic development in the Basque Country.
Following this, and for the two days of the event lasts, many industry experts will take part in various round tables on the implementation of new technologies in urban transport and how the industry can join this change. In turn, the role of ad- ministrations, operators and agents of the sector to match trends with the needs of urban transport will also be analysed.
This edition brings exciting innovations and outstanding advances in the field of R&D in the rail sector from countries such as Iran, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Canada, Poland, Great Britain, Peru, Israel, South Korea, Ireland, France, Russia, amongst others.
Trade Fair
Along with the main conferences, “World Metro & Light Rail 2018”, welcomes a trade fair in which the most cutting-edge solutions of the industry are exhibited to the in- ternational railway community. A multitude of innovative proposals will be on show in the area with which to improve the efficiency and modernisation of railway systems. In this edition, a wide range of Mafex partners are amongst the main exhibitors, such as CAF Group, ArcelorMittal, Ingeteam, Jez, Siemens, Teltronic, Amurrio, Bombardier, Danobat, Idom, Nem Solutions, Stadler Rail Valencia, Implaser, Sener, Telice, Arteche, Colway, Goratu, Indra, La Farga La Cambra, Luznor, Mb Sistemas, Sice, Talleres Alegria, Bigda Solutions, IK4, GMV, Cetest, Gantrex Spain, Typsa, Citef, Creativitic and Limmat Group.