One of the most efficient ways to respond to the social and environmental needs of our society is to design transport infrastructure and urban spaces that incorporate all of the variables that contribute to inclusive and sustainable mobility; mobility, moreover, that not only corrects existing imbalances but also creates spaces that are more integrated and humane.

We begin this edition with a clear example of this approach: namely, the improvements being made to Avenida Alfonso Molina in A Coruña. The works form part of an action proposal drawn up by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, in line with the urban development policies of the EU, the 2030 Agenda and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

All of these advances are made possible thanks to Ineco’s specialist teams and their outstanding technical and technological qualifications

2021 is the European Year of Rail, which celebrates a mode of transport that is sustainable, smart and safe. In a number of articles in this new edition, we highlight the benefits that railways bring for people, the economy and the climate. Cutting-edge satellite technology in pioneering innovation projects for railways in Europe, the modernisation of the Zaragoza-Teruel-Sagunto line (a key part of the Cantabrian-Mediterranean Corridor), the link between Sol and Gran Vía stations in Madrid serving 22,000 users per day, and the use of clean energy in level-crossing protection systems: all of these developments exemplify the tremendous technical and digital progress being made by a mode of transport that is on track for a bright future.

This drive to develop infrastructure that will help to bring about social and environmental improvements is also evident in the work carried out in the airport sector. The updating of the Master Plan for Simón Bolívar Airport in Santa Marta (Colombia) paves the way for a future expansion that will give a major boost to tourism and the economy in the north-eastern region of the country, while LEED Gold certification will make Kuwait International Airport a global benchmark for sustainability with regard to this type of transport infrastructure.

All of these advances are made possible thanks to Ineco’s specialist teams and their outstanding technical and technological qualifications. One such example is the group of cyber-security experts, whose continuous support plays a vital role in responding to the challenges of the digital environment. You can meet our cyber-security experts in this edition of ITRANSPORTE. These teams also represent an enormous social and human commitment. Ineco’s 2030 Agenda Commission, for example, focuses all of its talent on helping the company achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

We glimpse a new stage after a long period of pandemic that we are beginning to overcome thanks to the effort, resilience and exemplary behaviour that we have shown as a society, expressing our special thanks to all those who form part of Ineco.

In this context of a gradual return to normality, we are continuing our roadmap with the aim of making an effective contribution to improving people’s quality of life. Against this background, in this new edition we take an in-depth look at four recent works carried out in our country that are firmly committed to making further progress towards this goal. The new maritime station of Ceuta, designed by our architectural and engineering teams, is an efficient technical and architectural solution that significantly improves the comfort and functionality of the building, organises traffic flows and reinforces its security. This is clearly a major benefit for the more than two million people who use these facilities every year.

In the aerospace field, we learn about the main developments at ENAIRE from its General Director, Ángel Luis Arias, who provides us with highly relevant information on the company’s new strategy, in which social, environmental, safety and technological aspects are becoming increasingly important.

We glimpse a new stage after a long period of pandemic that we are beginning to overcome thanks to the effort, resilience and exemplary behaviour that we have shown as a society

From a transport and land mobility perspective, Josep Vicent Boira, Government Commissioner for the Mediterranean Corridor, provides interesting data on the development of the Cartographic Viewer of the Mediterranean Corridor, a cutting-edge tool that is extremely useful for monitoring the progress of this infrastructure, a key connection with Europe. We also report on the work to adapt the tunnels of the Directorate-General for Roads of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda to European regulations.

On the international front, we focus on Africa, Europe, Latin America and Oceania. Aeronautical solutions on two Cape Verde islands, field work for our client Rail Baltica in Latvia, the latest studies carried out for Aerocivil de Colombia at El Dorado airport, as well as the ongoing railway signalling work in Australia, highlight the important role played by Ineco equipment throughout the world.

The commitment to Spanish engineering talent, through the promotion and transmission of knowledge provided by the company’s training programmes; the promotion of social and innovative action with tools such as the TEAcompaño  mobile application –which improves accessibility to air transport for children with ASD– and the commitment to environmental sustainability, led by our team specialising in noise pollution, round up the contents of this edition, which we share with all our readers.

Within the context of the ongoing global health crisis, we must all play our part in the search for innovative, solidarity-based solutions that will enable us to lay the foundations for a solid and sustainable recovery. To help meet this critical challenge, at the national level, Ineco is firmly committed to aiding the efforts of the Ministry of  Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda by providing technical support to help implement the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

The main aims of this Plan are to modernise the economy, restore economic growth and create jobs, and as such, it will play a key role in consolidating and boosting the activities of the engineering and consultancy sector, which will have to offer a sound and technologically innovative response to the challenges that are looming in the short and medium term.

These are challenges that our company is tackling head-on, following a positive end to the 2020 financial year and prospects for 2021 that allow us to remain fairly optimistic, based on most solid guarantee of all: the enormous talent of our professionals. The award that one of our team recently received from the Madrid Association of Civil Engineers, along with the development of the innovative EOS project to help make flight procedures safer, are clear examples of Ineco’s entrepreneurial and forward-looking response capacity.

At Ineco we are firmly committed to aiding the efforts of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda by providing technical support to help implement the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan

At the international level, the contracts we have recently signed – such as the one for the Tren Maya, in Mexico, not only boost Ineco’s economic outlook for the coming years, but also reinforce the leading role played by Spanish engineering around the world.

Further examples of our strength and competitiveness include the commission to produce the Master Plan and design for what will become the second-largest airport in Greece, at Kasteli on the island of Crete; and the extension of the renovation works on the rail link between Samsun and Kalin, in Turkey.

This work is the result of the knowledge we have acquired through the projects we have implemented in Spain over recent decades. Among them, the addition of gauge changeovers to the high-speed rail network: a highly successful experience, particularly useful in terms of helping us export our know-how to other countries. At the international level, examples include highly specialised projects such as the development of new rail regulations for the Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Estado de Chile (EFE).

We have also made progress in fulfilling our commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs: a commitment that continues to encourage us to promote actions and initiatives designed to improve quality of life for society as a whole. This has led us to continue supporting solidarity-based projects such as IngenioSOS which has helped to improve essential services in Kenya, Ethiopia, Guatemala, South Sudan, India and Haiti over the course of its two editions.

We end 2020 focused on the two key pillars of our work, now more important than ever with the COVID-19 pandemic: cybersecurity, the key to protecting knowledge; and entrepreneurship, which is essential to make progress and improve the quality of life of the community as a whole.

In helping improve the cybersecurity of organisations, we have had to develop measures and action plans to resolve incidents on rail networks, satellite navigation systems and critical infrastructure. In an increasingly digital world, ensuring security is as crucial as in the physical world: both worlds converge in ground-breaking projects such as ERTMS, the subject of an article focused on our most recent work for the EU with on-board systems for trains and the European Galileo satellite system, where we have now been involved for ten years.

We have come to the end of 2020, a year in which our priority has been to ensure the safety and well-being of every team at Ineco, focused on the two essential pillars of our work: cybersecurity and entrepreneurship

Contributing to improved transport safety has made us resilient entrepreneurs, capable of recognising failure and providing solutions. That has been one of our main aims as the Supervising Agent of the Guadalajara-Colima highway in Mexico, a strategic route on which the latest data show a marked improvement in the accident rate. The inspection and servicing of the former Renfe trains that will provide regional services in Nairobi and the digital systems developed to improve aircraft information at Abu Dhabi airport are further examples of our work to improve safety.

Our entrepreneurial drive and passion make us adaptable and give us the capacity to carry out projects within Spain aimed at creating more sustainable, appealing and efficient transport. Examples include the new La Sagrera station, in Barcelona, a megaproject led by Ineco based on multimodality that will radically change transport in the city; and improvements to stations in Extremadura and in freight access to the port of Castellón.

And to conclude with entrepreneurship, with an eye on sustainability, we now share with our readers an overview and the specific steps taken by the company around Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, one of the foundations of our Strategic Plan and a shared project that has involved every department and every person in our organisation.

In extraordinary times like these, properly harnessing our potential is also yielding extraordinary results. With our vocation for innovation and the solid capacity to adapt that we have demonstrated since the very beginning, the current situation has allowed us to consolidate the strengths that set us apart, design new services that respond to emerging needs, and offer the best from our primary asset, the team that makes up Ineco. In short, we are moving forward, growing together.

The role and talent of Spanish engineering has meant that, for the first time in the more than 50 years of our history, we are now operating on all five continents. We have made our entry into Australia as part of the technical team that is promoting the modernisation of Sydney’s commuter network, drawing on Ineco’s extensive experience in the railway sector. In addition to this project, which is a symbolic milestone for all of us, Ineco was also awarded contracts with Rail Baltica and the works for Vilnius airport, both in Europe, the sustainability study for Dammam airport and the integral management of the plan for the Kuwait international airport expansion, in Asia, and the project recently signed in Costa Rica, on the American continent.

In Spain, we continue to focus our work on continuing to grow together with our clients and shareholders, contributing to the maintenance of essential services that seek to guarantee sustainable development, such as the services provided in Spain for Aena related to its carbon footprint and the fight against climate change,the work for ENAIRE, which for the first time successfully tested remote operation of SACTA, and the works and installations for Adif that will enable it to improve the quality of the service and advance in the efforts to bring high-speed rail to Extremadura.

In extraordinary times like these, properly harnessing our potential is also yielding extraordinary results

Ineco’s commitment to developing its talent has enabled it to continue to grow its position as a ground-breaking transport engineering and consultancy firm in the design of innovative and cutting-edge projects. One clear example of this is the international Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award given by Esri, a world leader in software for Geographic Information Systems, which recognises Ineco’s ground-breaking work in Spain using the BIM methodology in a GIS environment when designing a new stretch of highway. Accordingly, this edition includes an article on linear infrastructure projects in several countries where we are applying the BIM methodology. We also cover the Innova Award awarded to Ineco for the EOS project, a software product with unique features previously unavailable on the market.

Lastly, within the framework of our Agenda 2030 Plan, we highlight the importance of Ineco’s compliance programme, an example of our firm commitment to ethics that forms part of our Atenea Strategic Plan, guaranteeing respect for the law and trust amongst our stakeholders. Compliance is a culture that enables us to continue growing together to continuously improve our company, avoiding risks and producing legal security.

As of the closing of this issue, we are immersed in the greatest health crisis in recent history. An unprecedented event that is forcing us to adapt, change how we work and bring out the best in ourselves. I want to express my solidarity and appreciation to everyone with the firm conviction that together, we will overcome it.

Nevertheless, our dedication and commitment to the improvement of mobility and safety of infrastructure, spurs us on to continue carrying out our activity. One example of this is the comprehensive renovation of the Recoletos tunnel, which traverses Madrid from north to south and is a key element in improving the comfort and safety of this infrastructure, which carries the most rail traffic of the entire Spanish network. Designed and managed by Ineco on behalf of Adif, our technicians have played a crucial role in tackling one of the most important railway mobility projects in little more than five months, given that several commuter lines run through this tunnel, serving more than 250 million passengers a year.

Knowledge and input for improving urban mobility and promoting its sustainable development were combined at the recent World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi. With the objective of facing the future with more sustainable and inclusive transportation, the companies of the Group of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda presented their innovative projects at this international meeting convened by UN-Habitat.

Our dedication to improving the safety of transport and mobility has led us to participate in important studies and projects with major social benefits

Experience in the modernisation of railway lines, and in particular in the development and deployment of the ERTMS system, together with more than 14 years of collaboration in European innovation projects, led to Ineco’s participation in ERSAT GGC, an ambitious project financed by the European Satellite Navigation Agency which will make it possible to implement satellite technology in the European rail traffic management system ERTMS by means of virtual balises.

This same dedication to innovation to improve air and land safety is also behind the efforts by our experts to develop the ‘Factor Humano’ methodology, which has received several different awards, including the Canso ‘Global Safety Achievement Award 2019’.

Ineco’s international activity also prompted its involvement in the supervision of new trains for Quito’s first metro, and in the aeronautical field, to the design of the Master Plans for 12 airports of the Pacific Airport Group, a client to whom we are grateful for the comments made by its Network and Regulated Business Director, Jose Ángel Martínez.

As for Spain, in this issue we cover two road projects recently opened by the Ministry of Transport, which will reduce travel times and increase safety levels: the complex stretch of the A-23 highway as it passes through the Monrepós mountain pass, and the new Gaznata bridge over the Burguillo reservoir in Ávila.

Lastly, we highlight the launch of Ineco’s new Equality Plan, which includes important initiatives aimed at achieving real and effective equality, and which will have a Monitoring Committee to measure its degree of implementation and impact.

With its 30-year contract to manage six airports in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Aena Internacional has strengthened its leadership in the world and is helping to build new air bridges in a strategic sector vital to the development of the country’s tourism and economy, while at the same time strengthening relations between Spain and Brazil.

Ineco, which provided technical support to Aena Internacional during the entire concession process, will continue to collaborate on both the Operational Readiness and Transfer and subsequent stages, thus strengthening its long history as a technical consultant in Brazil, a country in which the company is carrying out other projects such as supervision of new trains for the São Paulo Commuter network, which is also covered in an article in this issue.

Also in the international sphere, our railway specialisation has taken us to different continents, as reported in the article about the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) carried out for the improvement of the Panama City Metro and safety studies conducted for the Makkah-Madinah high-speed line in Saudi Arabia.

In Spain, the works on the high-speed line to Galicia also involve building bridges – both figuratively, because of the crucial importance of improving connections with the Region of Galicia, and literally, because of the construction of the large viaducts and other special works that are required, including the ones described in a report in this issue on a section that presents enormous technical complexity.

We also dedicate space to innovation with the RONIN road safety tool and the implementation of a pilot project using the ground-breaking integration of BIM and GIS technology in Spain’s road sector.

Ineco’s commitment to building bridges between training and the exercise of the engineering profession, supporting the development and attraction of talent, has led us to organise, together with the Spanish Institute of Engineering, the first edition of the Awards for Excellence in Engineering Student Internships. These awards are based on performance during a series of theoretical and practical courses that will enhance the training of future engineers and enable them to contribute to increasing the prestige of Spanish engineering.

Similarly, and as part of our unequivocal commitment to the 2030 Agenda, we will be building charitable bridges with volunteer projects that we carry out in our CSR section, in which we highlight three projects already underway in India, South Sudan and Haiti.

We dedicate the cover of this issue to the arrival of high speed to Granada with a full report in which we wanted to give a voice to the Ineco technicians who worked with Adif Alta Velocidad on the execution of the final 114-kilometre section. In so doing, we not only celebrate the fact that the historic city of Granada now enjoys connections similar to those of other large cities such as Barcelona and Madrid, but also highlight the technical knowledge and expertise of our professionals in the execution of this kind of infrastructure; ingenuity and talent serving society. This new line is undoubtedly another step in the firm commitment to structuring and uniting the country socially, culturally and geographically, representing another breakthrough in Spanish engineering, and all framed by  the comprehensive vision of our transport model, part of the Ministry of Public Works’ Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility strategy.

On the subject of railways, this issue features a report on the work that Ineco has been carrying out for more than 15 years to guarantee the quality and supply of railway materials used for track assembly.

In the field of airports, the conducting of studies and projects under the premise of efficient, sustainable and safe work, in the case of the projects recently carried out for Aeronáutica Civil de Colombia, has a special attraction: the satisfaction of participating in the development of airports located in remote regions with enormous agricultural, commercial and tourist potential. On this same subject, we are particularly pleased to hear the comments of the CEO of Aerocivil, engineer Juan Carlos Salazar.

We celebrate the arrival of high-speed rail to Granada, a new milestone in Spanish engineering’s commitment to structuring and uniting the country socially, culturally and geographically

This issue also highlights Ineco’s participation in the design and development of four projects aimed at effectively and sustainably improving mobility, two in the international arena –the construction of Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro and the new Paseo del Bajo road corridor, which crosses Buenos Aires from north to south– and two in Spain –ENAIRE’s new terminal area control centre (TACC) in Valencia and the San José de Valderas commuter rail station in Madrid–.

In the space dedicated to corporate social responsibility, we highight Ineco’s initiatives to promote equality. Moving towards real gender equality involves commitment and concrete actions. In this regard, we want to showcase and share with you the ‘IN’ Women’s’ Programme that we recently launched

Our work in designing solutions aimed at promoting the improvement of mobility through transport networks to increase the quality of life of people and economic competitiveness of territories prompts us, on this occasion, to highlight on the front cover of this issue a project carried out for the Peruvian government to develop the future Central Bi-Oceanic railway (CFBC), a corridor whose purpose is to transport passengers and freight across South America and promote trade between Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.

Also abroad, our experience in planning has led to our participation with Adif as part of the advisory services that Spain is providing to India in relation to its plan to develop an ambitious high-speed rail network, which has been manifested in projects such as the one covered here concerning a feasibility study on a 772-kilometre high-speed line between Mumbai and Nagpur. We also highlight projects such as our recent collaboration on New York’s future Moynihan station and the development of a transport observatory for the Brazilian government, not to mention our proactive participation again at the World ATM Congress, a major international air traffic management trade fair.

We continue to forge ahead with our firm commitment to connecting people in an efficient, sustainable and safe way

In Spain, our commitment to forging ahead with a more efficient, sustainable and safe transport model, thus promoting continuous improvement in the quality of services provided, is also reflected in the goals of two projects carried out in Terminal 1 of Barcelona-El Prat Airport, a terminal that celebrates its tenth anniversary in June of this year 2019. The terminal’s south pier redevelopment and enlargement project will increase its capacity, and the new tunnel that will extend Line 2 of Barcelona’s c network will make it possible for more than 8 million passengers to travel from the Sants station in just 19 minutes. Lastly, we cover the improvements that are being made to the Port of Valencia and to the A Coruña railway station, works that will also contribute to these goals of quality and competitiveness.

We close this issue with a space on corporate social responsibility that features a report on the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which Ineco has integrated into its strategy and which we would like to share with our readers.

My first several weeks as president of Ineco have given me a first-hand look at the excellent work of a team that stands above the rest. A team with a long history –this year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company– but above all, with enormous talent to continue designing the future.

Our condition as a public engineering firm drives us to continue contributing actively to the development of Spain’s infrastructure, and area where we will continue to focus a large part of our technical potential through the professionals who form part of Ineco, exporting the broad knowledge acquired in Spain to other parts of the world.

In this sense, within Spain, we continue to work with our shareholders on a very wide variety of projects throughout our country. This issue of ITRANSPORTE covers several examples, including the complex project to resolve the Bergara Junction in the ‘Basque Y’ and the comprehensive modernization of the railway line between Palencia and Santander.

The team of professionals who form part of the Ineco has enormous talent to continue designing the future

In parallel, Ineco’s participation in large-scale engineering projects around the world, such as the Makkah-Madinah high-speed line, which at the close of this issue is already a reality that is underway, or the recommendations for the design of a new model of railway management in Malaysia, continue to highlight Ineco’s position as a leader outside of our borders.

It is also important to emphasize our contribution in the development of new projects aimed at implementing efficiency, safety and digitization in transport systems. The designing of equipment that recovers and returns the surplus energy generated by train braking to the grid, wildlife control plans at airports, and the implementation of the Digital Transformation Plan 2018-2020, are clear examples of this.