The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has awarded the consortium led by Bureau Veritas together with Ineco, IATA and FRACS, a contract within the international cooperation project ARISE Plus (2018-2022), funded by the European Union. Ineco will participate as a lead drone expert by defining, implementing and following up on annual work plans, strategic guidance, training workshops, seminars, etc.

ARISE Plus (EU Regional Integration Support) is the second edition of an EU technical support programme aimed at strengthening trade relations with the countries of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).

This plan includes various works on roads throughout the country, through public-private partnership models, alongside the Transport Infrastructure Programme (PIT) that Ineco has also been in charge of since 2016 and which has recently been extended until 2023. Both programmes have been financed with loans from the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank), with an investment of USD 450 million and USD 125 million respectively, as well as a contribution of USD 53 million from the MOPT. The shared objective is to increase the country’s competitiveness by improving its road and port infrastructure, to reduce costs and travel times for people and goods, and to increase road safety.

For more than 15 years, Costa Rica has undertaken several programmes to improve its transport routes, a notable investment drive in infrastructures with which Ineco began to collaborate in 2004, participating in works such as the National Transport Plan, the modernisation of the airport network –with various improvements having also been carried out since then– and the research project for the implementation of a railway transport system in the metropolitan area of the capital, San José, which is now a reality. 

The Costa Rican government is making a major effort to improve the country’s infrastructure

The country’s geographical location means that the 660 kilometres long Inter-American Highway has become the backbone of the country’s road network. The Inter-American Highway is a huge 48,000 kilometres long route that runs the length of the continent from Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina. The Costa Rican section of this road is of great importance for the internal mobility of people and goods. It enters the country through the northern town of Peñas Blancas and crosses the central part of the country through San José, a stretch known as Route 1, and from here it runs to the Panamanian border town of Paso Canoas, Route 2. The enlargement and improvements on both sections are therefore a matter of national interest.

The San Carlos Route, a key connection

Among the key works of the PIV-APP are those related to the San Carlos Route: they consist of the technical, economic, financial and environmental feasibility study, as well as the pre-design of National Route 35, the road to San Carlos along the Bernardo Soto-Florencia section. 

The new road linking National Route 1 (Bernardo Soto road) with the city of San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada and Florencia), is made up of four sections. The first is the intersection with National Route 1, the Bernardo Soto-Sifón (South end) road; the second, the Sifón-Abundancia section, (currently under construction with four lanes in the middle section); the third, Abundancia-Ciudad Quesada; and the fourth, Abundancia-Florencia. These last two sections have been constructed under the so-called ‘D+C’ (design plus construction) model, works financed through the IDB (PIV-I), which have already been completed and are in operation.

The PIT and the PIV-APP, in which Ineco is collaborating, are part of Costa Rica’s National Transport Plan 2011-2035

This road, in its entire length (taking into account the 4 sections), is designated as a priority corridor by both the Government of the Republic and other sectors, such as the so-called ‘Consensus Group for the Rescue of the National Road Network’. Its strategic importance lies in the fact that it connects the Central Plateau with a very important agricultural and productive area for the country, as well as being part of the International Network of Mesoamerican Highways (RICAM).

Route 17: The Angostura.

The implementation of the PIV-APP also seeks to contribute to the country’s competitiveness through the improvement and environmentally sustainable expansion of the High Capacity Road Network (RVAC) in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), which includes the conurbations of San José, Alajuela, Cartago and Heredia, in addition to supporting the development of road infrastructure projects through Public-Private Partnership (APP) models. The high rate of population growth and the deficit in infrastructure development contribute to road congestion, which particularly affects the Greater Metropolitan Area, where 70% of the population uses public transport. The programme aims to counteract environmental impacts, improve competitiveness and enhance the quality of life in this densely populated area of the Costa Rican capital.

Members of the Ineco team at the offices in San José, where the consultancy for the planning, coordination and administrative, technical, legal and environmental management of the Transport Infrastructure Programme (PIT), launched by the Costa Rican government, is being undertaken.

checking in our suitcase

The big day is finally here! It’s time for us to fly. We leave everything neat and tidy at home, pick up our suitcase, and head to the airport. When we get to the terminal, we make our way to the check-in desk, where we witness the first stage in the journey taken by our baggage: tagging.

The tag serves to identify our baggage in the BHS, and normally consists of a sticker bearing a series of printed details and a barcode. This sticker is usually wrapped around the handle of our suitcase. The barcode, by the way, is a unique reference and ensures that every item of baggage has its own exclusive identification code.

In addition to the tag, at the same check-in desk the size and weight of our suitcase is checked automatically. After the tag has been attached, and provided the suitcase is within the permitted dimensions, it enters the BHS.

BHS stands for Automated Baggage Handling System, and comprises a series of elements that convey our baggage automatically from the check-in desk to the point of delivery to the handling agents, who are responsible for loading it onto the plane. (See Figure 1).

BHS. A series of elements that convey our baggage automatically from the check-in desk to the point of delivery to the handling agents.

Our suitcase makes its way into the BHS

Our suitcase enters the system via a series of automated conveyor belts. It leaves the airport’s check-in area and is taken to a technical and rather industrial area within the same building. The suitcase is now one of many that are currently within the system, and are being conveyed in an orderly fashion along the multitude of conveyor belts that snake their way through the facility.

The BHS controls the progress of the baggage using Programmable Logic Controllers, or PLCs. These devices govern various elements within the system, including the motors that move the conveyor belts, and decide whether to start or stop each motor based on the prevailing conditions within the system at the time.

Our suitcase continues to make its way along the conveyor belts and soon passes through a gate, which is fitted with several strategically positioned laser barcode readers. This gate is known as the Automatic Tag Reader (ATR).

Scanner arches enable the BHS to identify the suitcase by reading the barcode that has been attached to it. Once it has been identified, the BHS assigns the suitcase a final destination within the system. It should be noted that the BHS is able to distinguish between suitcases based on the flight they correspond to, thereby ensuring that baggage for the same flight is delivered to the same end point (i.e. the make-up carousels).

At no point has our suitcase stopped in order to be identified as it made its way through the Automatic Tag Reader. The transit process is continuous, except for a couple of occasions when the system stopped the suitcase at a junction, so that an item of baggage from another line ahead of us could join the belt.

Ineco is currently working on the design of the BHS for the international airports of Schiphol (Amsterdam), pictured, and Dammam (Saudi Arabia). / PHOTO_INECO

Baggage inspection

All of the baggage that enters the BHS is inspected, in order to ensure the safety and security of people, aircraft and the airport facilities. Our suitcase continues to make its way along the conveyor belts, heading towards a large machine in the distance that appears to be swallowing up all of the baggage in front. This is the baggage screening machine.

Baggage screening machines examine every single item of baggage that enters the BHS. They are equipped with advanced technological features designed to detect elements that might cause harm to people and property, such as weapons and explosives.

A small curtain marks the point where the inspection process begins. As with the identification process, our suitcase does not stop during the inspection process, and after a few seconds it emerges from the machine and passes through a second curtain before continuing its journey through the facility.

At the end of the inspection, the machine sends the result to the BHS, which incorporates this result into the data it has for the item of baggage in question. This data is vital, as the BHS must ensure that the only suitcases to reach the planes are those that have been ‘cleared’ (i.e. they have passed the inspection).

So, with the inspection result now linked to its data file, our suitcase continues on towards a critical decision-making point in the system. Here, there is an electromechanical device that separates the ‘cleared’ baggage from the rest, sending it along one belt and the ‘non-cleared’ baggage along another.

At this decision point, the BHS is able to verify the inspection status of each item of baggage. If –and only if– a suitcase’s status is shown as ‘cleared’, the system will allow it to continue on towards the final destination. In all other cases, the system will divert the baggage so that an additional inspection can be carried out.

As our suitcase does not contain any dangerous items, it was ‘cleared’ during the first inspection and can now make its way to the final destination. Behind it, at the decision point, other suitcases that were not so lucky are diverted onto a different line, where they will be subjected to a new inspection.

Early baggage storage line with stacker crane operation, Alicante airport. / PHOTO_JOAQUÍN ESTEVE

 Baggage classification and final destination

Because it classifies baggage by flight, the BHS helps to make airport operations more efficient. Our suitcase is now nearing the end of its journey. The line it is now travelling on has a multitude of junctions leading off to different locations, such as early baggage storage, manual encoding stations, make-up carousels, and docks for ‘problem’ baggage.

Early baggage storage is a temporary destination for baggage that has been introduced into the system but whose flight does not yet have an assigned make-up carousel. It is a sub-system that is of tremendous help to airports that handle high volumes of baggage for connecting flights, when there can be a difference of many hours between the arrival and departure flights.

Our suitcase continues on past the entrances to the manual encoding stations, as the BHS has not lost track of it at any point. It also goes past the entrance to early baggage storage: the make-up carousel for our flight is now ready to receive baggage, so there is no need to store the suitcase within the system temporarily. When our suitcase reaches the junction for the make-up carousel assigned to our flight, the system activates a switch to send it along the right track. During this final stage in its journey, the baggage is carefully deposited onto the make-up carousel.

Make-up carousels are electromechanical elements that form a closed circuit, into which all the baggage for a particular flight is deposited. The baggage trains are positioned alongside the make-up carousels, in order make the process of loading the baggage onto the trains as efficient as possible.

Once the suitcase has reached the make-up carousel, it is out of the hands of the BHS and becomes the responsibility of the handling agent. Via the baggage train, the agents transport our suitcase to the plane and load it into the hold. Sometimes, if we look through the plane window, we can see this process taking place.

Summary and final thoughts

Figure 2 shows the processes that a suitcase passes through after it has been checked in.

DIAGRAM OF AN OUTBOUND BAGGAGE SYSTEM. This diagram shows all of the processes that a suitcase passes through, from its arrival at the check-in desk to the final destination of the loading dock, where it passes out of the hands of the BHS and becomes the responsibility of the handling agents.

The BHS has a number of technical solutions, contains many more elements and carries out many more processes than those described in this article. Ineco is aware of this complexity and takes the specific nature of each project into account. This enables the company to provide tailored services for the domestic and international markets.

Rail Baltica has commissioned Ineco to review its global marketing strategy, in order to identify new opportunities and products that can boost commercial optimisation as well as maximise the participation of the project’s various shareholders, taking into consideration the future needs of the railway infrastructure. To this end, Ineco has assembled a multidisciplinary team whose expertise covers a variety of aspects related to intermodality, freight, railway operation, marketing and communication.

Rail Baltica aims to link the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) via an 870-kilometre high-speed line that will subsequently link up with the rest of Europe via Poland and Finland.

Ineco has been commissioned by Alstom to carry out an independent safety assessment (ISA) of the electromechanical system for the airport branch of Line 2 of the Panama Metro. The section runs for approximately two kilometres and connects Line 2 to the Eastern Advanced Technical Institute (ITSE) and Tocumen International Airport. Ineco also carried out the ISAs for Lines 1 and 2 in 2019. ISAs can only be performed by an assessor that, like Ineco, has been accredited by an official body (ENAC, in Spain). They play a vital role in ensuring that any part of a railway system (track, installations, equipment, rolling stock), whether new or modified, is safe and can enter into operation or continue to be used (see IT56 and 67).

Additionally, and also on behalf of Alstom, Ineco is to carry out an ISA of the on-board ERTMS equipment installed on the 30 Prima M4 locomotives that the French manufacturer has begun to deliver to railway operators in Morocco.

Rail Baltica is a rail transport infrastructure project, the largest in the region during the last century, which will integrate the Baltic States into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) by means of an 870-kilometre conventional and electrified, international gauge, high-speed line. The EU-funded project will connect Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with the rest of Europe via Poland and, through an indirect connection by ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, also with Finland, at a maximum speed of 249 km/h for passengers and 120 km/h for freight.

Since 2019, Ineco has entered into four contracts for the line, in consortium with two Spanish engineering companies: the first, with Ardanuy, for the study of the energy subsystem of the entire line. Another contract, in consortium with the same firm, is for the study of the location and development of the maintenance depots and Railheads for the construction of the entire railway line, along with maintenance strategies. The third, in consortium with Idom, is the design of the 56-kilometre stretch through the Latvian capital, known as the Riga Ring.

The fourth, led by Ineco and in consortium with Ardanuy, was signed in April 2020 and comprises the design and design supervision during the execution of works on the 94-kilometre section known as Latvia North, which runs in a north-south direction from the Latvian-Estonian border to the city of Vangazi, northwest of Riga. The scope of the works is divided into two phases: the design stage, with an expected duration of 30 months, and the construction supervision phase, with an estimated duration of five years. The contract includes the development of the entire railway, the complete design of the roads and all geotechnical works, which started in March 2020 and will last until the end of 2022. The works are divided into three phases, the first of which was completed in July 2021.

The analysis of the geological characteristics and the load-bearing capacity of the ground is essential for the proper design of the foundations of the future railway line’s platform, embankments and all bridges, viaducts and drainage works, as well as roads.

The ground investigation work, both subsoil and surface, includes the geotechnical campaign, the location of deposits for the supply of construction materials, the BIM integration of the geological model into the project, the creation of an inventory of buildings for the design of acoustic barriers, the investigation of unique construction features and the coordination and obtaining of construction permits. The company currently has an office in the central district of Riga with a team of railway, road and geotechnical engineers and a geologist to carry out the work.

Geotechnical SITE INVESTIGATIONS

The project area is located on glacial, subglacial, fluvial and coastal lands of Quaternary origin and geomorphology. A detailed study is required between every 100 and 300 metres with different types of follow-up investigations to study the geotechnical behaviour of the ground and the existing hydrogeological model. For this reason, during the two-year duration of the project, about 1,500 geotechnical investigations will be carried out, completing more than 350 investigations that have already been done, as well as other historical investigations by the Latvian Geological Institute. In total, nine geotechnical campaigns will be done almost simultaneously.

Due to the peculiarities of the region and its accessibility characteristics, the following types of research are being carried out:

• A survey of old unexploded ordnance (UXO Analysis, UneXploded Ordnance): before beginning any geotechnical investigation, a preliminary geophysical investigation with magnetometric methods is required to detect possible unexploded ordnance, remnants of World War II. This research is carried out by military experts approved by the Latvian Ministry of Defence.
• Core drilling boreholes with core recovery: oriented towards the analysis of the foundations of structures, these are boreholes 25 to 50 metres depth that analyse the substratum, taking lithological samples of soils and rocks and analysing their geomechanical behaviour in the laboratory.
• Small diameter percussion gouge drilling: this is a technique commonly used in the Baltic countries, which is not common in Spain. This consists of ‘mini-drilling’ at a maximum depth of 6 to 10 metres, which allows a quick, versatile, convenient and economical study of the influence area on the ground for the foundations of embankments. The big advantage is that these drills can be transported almost anywhere, due to their small size.
• Mechanical trial pits: the collection of soil samples using trial pits makes it possible to study its behaviour with a view to reusing it for embankment fills, given the high demand for such material.
• Dynamic Penetration Tests: although in Spain the use of DPSH (Dynamic Probing Super Heavy) and SPT (Standard Penetration Test) in boreholes are widely used as in situ tests to measure soil strength and bearing capacity, in the Baltic countries, and specifically in Latvia, where there is a large amount of soft soils and peat areas, it is necessary to resort to lighter methods, such as DPL. This type of test requires equipment that is easier to transport and is suitable for areas that are difficult to access.
• Other alternative methods: sometimes it is necessary to resort to alternative surface sampling such as auger drilling or Shelby tubes, mainly for taking undisturbed samples from areas of peat and thixotropic soils (soils with a gel-like consistency), in order to analyse their special characteristics and geomechanical behaviour under stress.

The ground conditions pose significant challenges for the implementation of the campaign: a natural environment that is difficult to access, with dense forests and numerous rivers and wetlands; the presence of wildlife such as bears, deer and reindeer; and the cold and wet climate, which affects machinery. In terms of soil type, there are large flooded areas and an abundance of soft and peaty soils, which need to be analysed in detail to avoid differential settlement and embankment failure in the future.

Other works

The Ineco team is also working to locate deposits for the supply of materials. The Latvia North section will be built almost entirely on embankments with an average height of 4 to 5 metres along its 94-kilometre length. This amounts to some 8 million m³ of material. Therefore, all active quarries in a 60-kilometre radius surrounding the route, some 100 in total, are being inventoried.

In addition, nearly 1,000 affected buildings have been visited, studied and inventoried in order to design measures to minimise the acoustic impact of the future railway line, one of the fundamental aspects of the project from an environmental point of view.

Meanwhile, drainage works, viaducts, canals or unique features of the terrain are being routinely visited to take measurements and gather detailed information on the construction elements for the rest of the team.

Ineco’s local team is also in charge of coordinating and obtaining construction permits, which requires coordinating all those involved: administrations, municipalities, public companies and owners.

It should also be noted that all the geotechnical investigations carried out are integrated into the project’s BIM environment, using specialised software. This provides a 3D geological model, which enables the interaction of structures and construction elements with the local geology to be observed, facilitates a more detailed, accurate and efficient design, and improves the planning of works.

The new technical railway regulations of the Chilean public company EFE, drafted by Ineco in consortium with Louis Berger (now WSP), with stakes of 80% and 20%, respectively, involves the development of a new technical regulatory framework to regulate the design, construction and maintenance of all the Chilean railway company’s assets.  The criteria include RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety) requirements, and cover all of the systems that make up railways: infrastructure, superstructure, signalling, electrification and communications; level crossings; stations and rolling stock for passengers, freight and auxiliary vehicles; and operation and maintenance.

In 2020, EFE’s Board of Directors approved a change to this new technical standard that will govern the conduct of all its suppliers and contractors moving forward. The project required the renewal and expansion from the 24 standards that existed in 2019 to the current 72 standards. The Chilean railway network is unique in that it incorporates both its own elements and European and North American technologies, which is why the drafting process was carried out based on both American and European regulations, taking into account current Chilean legislation, the current state of the infrastructure and routine operations of the EFE Group.

The development of the new regulation was a complex task, since it addresses new standards in all areas of railway activity: more than 50 professionals from Ineco and Louis Berger (WSP), from 15 different specialities, participated in the project over the course of a year. Meetings organised into 17 working groups were held, involving the coordination and input of more than 100 specialists from the EFE group and its subsidiaries: Tren Central, Metro Valparaíso, FESUR and FCALP.

From an operational point of view, the new framework will facilitate procurement processes, define maintenance contracts and make it possible to reduce costs. From a strategic point of view, it ensures greater national and international visibility and diversity in Chilean public procurement.

The methodology of the Ineco/Louis Berger (WSP) consulting team was based on defining a decision model and a formula for integrating standards in three stages: identification of the standard, selection of the standard and integration into the regulatory framework.

Strengthening rail transport in Chile

The EFE group manages a network of approximately 2,200 kilometres of track, providing long-distance, medium-distance and commuter services. The EFE network uses mostly a 1,676 mm gauge (very similar to Iberian gauge), with several 1,000 mm metric gauge sections on northern lines. The EFE group can be further subdivided into the parent company EFE (which is responsible for the administration of the infrastructure and exclusive freight lines) and the subsidiaries, which are responsible for the operation of the different passenger services:

• Tren Central, which covers the network from Santiago to Chillán.
• Metro Valparaíso, which covers the metro service between Limache and Valparaíso.
• Ferrocarriles del Sur, between the Biobío region and Puerto Montt.
• Ferrocarril Arica-La Paz, which is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the tracks on the Chilean section between Arica and Visviri.

Meanwhile, freight transport is provided by the private companies Fepasa and Transap.

72 standards across more than 15 specialities

The complexity of drafting all the regulations stems, to a large extent, from the wide variety of systems and proprietary architectures of the different EFE subsidiaries and their unification into one standard for each system.

To develop them, Ineco’s experts used general documentation, equipment and system specifications, inventory lists, meetings and visits to EFE’s facilities in Chile, as well as benchmarking to define the most appropriate international standards to be considered in each speciality. Thanks to the 17 work groups of Ineco, Louis Berger (WSP) and EFE and its subsidiaries, a diagnosis was made, standardisation needs and requirements were identified, and, lastly, standards were drafted for validation by the EFE group.

The standards will serve as a basis for tenders and will provide EFE technicians with tools to meet the challenges arising from the modernisation of the railway sector in Chile.

The voice of the experts in…

Track: Ineco’s track specialists participated in the review and drafting of 12 technical standards for the design, construction and maintenance of the superstructure. In this area, says Francisco Javier García, six standards were drafted to regulate important aspects such as the criteria for the design and construction of the track superstructure, as well as the supply of track elements (ballast, sleepers, anchors, etc.). A specific standard for maintenance work was also included.

Level crossings: Both at vehicle and pedestrian level crossings, Amador Quintana highlights EFE Chile’s sensitivity to the protection of level crossing users and universal accessibility to these installations. He also noted that it was right to base its approach on well developed European regulations on level crossings and to focus on proper maintenance, which is key to ensuring safety.

Civil works: The civil works speciality includes railway platform works, which are divided into separate packages: bridges, tunnels, cuts and embankments, works of art, crossings and parallelism, drainage and enclosures. Javier Rodríguez and Ricardo Rico, of Louis Berger (WSP) highlight the joint effort that went into the development of the new regulatory framework through the working groups formed by EFE and consortium specialists. This has made it possible to integrate the expertise of the EFE network, the country’s experience and international best practices into the new standards.

Most of the standards were newly created, as in the case for tunnels, which include aspects of design, construction and maintenance to address the management of EFE’s network, which has more than 30 tunnels in operation, some of which are quite old and with a variety of different tunnel types.

In the case of bridges, EFE already had a regulatory framework that had been in place since 2006. More than 12 years after their creation, these standards were updated, including standards to facilitate the maintenance, operation and inspection of bridges.

Stations: In the development of the technical standard for stations, Chilean national decrees and manuals were used as a reference, although, as Beatriz Asensio, points out, when deemed necessary, international documents were used, such as the US Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual. Chapter 10: Station Capacity. In total, four standards were developed for stations, covering construction elements, accessibility and safety, and three new standards for workshops.

Electromechanical equipment: In regard to this equipment, which includes lifts, escalators, forced ventilation and water pumps, among other components, Ángel Sánchez and Manuel Benedicto García highlight the obligation to comply with Chilean regulations, regardless of the fact that it was sometimes necessary to supplement them with EU regulations, such as Spanish UNE standards. In some cases, the presence of US standards was more noticeable, as in the case of fire protection systems in buildings, since much of this equipment is developed in the US.

As the graph shows, the new policy framework was developed through an AS-IS/TO-BE (‘where we are and where we want to be’) approach. The implementation plan developed by Ineco and Louis Berger (WSP) defined how to gradually implement the new set of standards.

Electrification: Seven regulations were developed for the design, construction and maintenance of the entire traction power supply structure, consisting of high-voltage lines, electrical substations and overhead lines. In all of these projects, says Jaime Peñalba, regulations were adapted to the existing energy supply system and in some of them, in addition to Chilean and international regulations, Ineco’s experience was a key factor.

Signalling: As José Antonio Jiménez points out, within the speciality of signalling, which includes the interlocking, blocking, signalling, train detection and protection, and track device operation systems, it was necessary to draw up new technical standards based on the international standards already tested, which will represent a positive step forward in EFE’s railway network, improving operability and increasing safety.

Command and control: For command and control systems, standards were developed not only for railway systems, but also for control centre operators. Ineco also developed regulations on the ergonomic standards that furniture and equipment must comply with in order to reduce risk caused by human error. According to Ángel García Luengo, a common videographic representation has also been developed in synoptics, videowalls, SCADAs, etc., so that the operator can clearly identify the elements on which to operate.

Land-based telecommunications: Standards were applied for each of the systems: video surveillance, access control and anti-intrusion access, administrative and operational telephone systems and passenger information and sound systems. Rafael Gutiérrez explains that the standard was developed for the radiocommunications systems that implement both the CSV (Virtual Signalling System) and the TKBC (weighbridge toll system), the complexity of which lies in the different technologies incorporated into it, such as:  NXDN (UHF/VHF-based open standard for public land mobile radio systems), GNSS (global navigation satellite system), AEI/RFID (automatic equipment identification/radio frequency identification), MMOO (microwave), public operator mobile networks and SATCOM (satellite communications) for communications between driver/vehicle and the Telecommunications Control Centre and/or Centralised Control Centre.

The standards will serve as the basis for tenders for new railway sections of EFE and its subsidiaries

Information Technology (IT): In this area, Antonio Urbez stresses that consultancy work was carried out proposing international regulations affecting IT in two fundamental aspects: governance and means of payment, with the proposal to introduce international regulations such as ISO 14443 (standard related to cards and electronic security devices for personnel identification).

RAMS: Standards were drawn up for the application of requirements for the recently created RAMS department within EFE, applying, according to Tatiana Rueda, the CENELEC, EN-50126, 50128, 50129 standards, a global benchmark.

Rolling stock: Due to the requirements of the rolling stock running on the EFE network, Álvaro Jiménez Mellado highlights the development of a set of ad hoc, standards, with criteria and requirements from North American standards for freight rolling stock, and European and North American standards for passenger trains (locomotives, coaches, etc.). These rules will make it easier for EFE to put the new equipment into service and will serve as a basis for international tenders for the purchase of new trains.

Africa was the location of one of Ineco’s first projects abroad: in 1975, the company, then a small consultancy firm made up of a small group of engineers from Renfe, was preparing a feasibility study for the Kindu-Kisangani railway line in the former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ineco, which began its aeronautical operations in Africa in the early 2000s, has carried out projects to improve and expand airport infrastructure, navigation systems and airspace management in various countries across the continent. One particularly noteworthy example, due to its condition as a group of islands, is Cape Verde, where Ineco has carried out numerous projects.

A study of the procedures and modes of operation at the São Filipe aerodrome on the island of Fogo is currently underway. Ineco is preparing a review of obstacles and safety in relation to the introduction of night operations and instrument flight conditions, and is designing the instrument flight procedures. Another recent project in the archipelago was a study, carried out in 2019, for the installation of an ILS (Instrument Landing System) at São Vicente’s Cesaria Évora airport, one of the country’s four international airports.

Members of the Ineco team at the opening of the new Boa Vista airport terminal (2007).

The first projects in Cape Verde date back to 2003, with the project and management of the new Boa Vista international airport, which opened in 2007. Since then, a large number of studies, projects and supervision of subsequent improvement works have been carried out. These include the review of the master plans of Sal, Boa Vista, Praia and São Vicente, in 2012, easement studies, technical and economic feasibility analysis of night operation in Boa Vista and São Vicente. In 2014, ASA also commissioned Ineco to draw up the master plans for three domestic airports: Maio, Sâo Nicolau and Fogo, and between 2015 and 2018, the management of the expansion of the passenger terminals at the international airports of Boa Vista and Sal.

Ineco has also carried out its aeronautical activity on the African continent in a half-dozen other countries. In 2015, it worked on updating the air traffic management system for the state-owned Airports of Mozambique (ADM). The company provided support services for the design of ATM systems in the specification of equipment and systems and also provided support for their subsequent deployment.

In 2012, as a result of an intergovernmental collaboration agreement between Spain and Angola, Ineco formed part of the Aena Internacional team that, over the course of a year, developed physical and operational security procedures for the airport of Luanda, the country’s capital. Airport staff were also trained and a quality assurance plan was introduced using indicators, similar to the one applied by Aena at its airports.

In Morocco, between 2011 and 2012, Ineco was part of the consortium that carried out the Study, analysis and reorganisation of Morocco’s airspace project that was included in the country’s Strategic Plan to boost its tourism industry. At the same time, the company carried out a capacity study for the Moroccan Directorate General of Civil Aviation for the Mohammed V airport terminal building in Casablanca.

Ineco’s first project in Egypt was awarded in an international tender in 2010, when the Egyptian Company for Airports and Air Navigation (EHCAAN) selected the company to develop a strategic plan for the country’s civil aviation. The plan included an analysis of the CNS/ATM infrastructure, the proposal of a new airway network, the definition of a modernisation plan for navigation systems and the development of specifications for a new air traffic control system for the Cairo Control Centre.

In 2009, in Kenya, the company reviewed and updated the expansion project of the Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi. Due to the strong growth in traffic volume up to that point, the airport operator had to revise its planned expansion project. This plan was opened to international tender and awarded to Ineco in 2008. Works included a traffic demand forecast through 2030, the computer simulation of passenger, baggage and aircraft flows –both of the airport’s current situation and future forecasts– and the assessment and proposal of recommendations to optimise the capacity and functional, economic-financial, architectural and operational safety viability of the expansion project.

In 2009, Ineco designed the improvement and extension of the airfield at Walvis Bay airport for the Namibian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, for which it also drafted the basic project for a new passenger terminal.

The line from the Black Sea port of Samsun to the city of Kalin is one of six rail routes in Turkey that have been selected to improve connections between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, to promote the development of regional transport and to reduce road accidents. This is a 377.8 kilometres railway line (plus the branch between Samsun and Gelemen, which is just over 10 km long) that links the cities of Samsun, on the Black Sea coast, and Kalin, in the centre of the country, where it connects to the Ankara-Sivas line.

29 STATIONS. With a total length of 378 kilometres, the line was built in the first half of the 20th century; it runs through a mountainous area and has 29 stations and 47 tunnels.

The project, run by the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, is funded by the European Union as part of its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). The scope of the project consists of modernising a conventional line, which was completed in 1932 on single track without electrification and without signalling. This is a very long line running through a mountainous area: it has 29 stations and 47 tunnels, the longest of which is 556 metres long, for a total of 7,259 metres.

The installation of the ERTMS L1 signalling system will increase the maximum speed from 70 km/h to 120 km/h on the entire line

The work of the consortium in which Ineco is involved includes the monitoring and control of the modernisation of the infrastructure, superstructure and installations. Within the consortium, the Ineco’s main role has been to supervise the signalling, communications and power supply works, as well as coordinating the electromechanical installations team.

Other activities carried out by the consortium include track extension supervision, tunnel renovation, platform and station upgrades, and new signalling and train protection systems, including the ERTMS Level 1 system.

Ineco will continue to provide technical assistance in 2021 to complete the signalling and telecommunications work on the line, a necessary step to reduce travel times and increase speeds. The ERTMS L1 train protection system installation will increase the maximum speed from 70 km/h to 120 km/h on the entire line. The new system will be able to perform train traffic operations at 5-minute intervals.

The line, which runs between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, was selected to promote the development of regional transport and reduce the number of road accidents

Provisional acceptance of the works took place in December 2019. Over the course of 2020, runs with test trains and trackside signalling were planned, as well as the completion of the installation and testing of the ERTMS L1 system. These plans were delayed due to the impact of COVID-19, so this work will continue in 2021.

The drone industry continues to grow year after year, and Ineco is active in different fields related to the industry, principally in regulatory issues and air traffic. Ineco experts, Víctor Gordo from CNS/ATM Systems and Javier Carvajal from the Smart Products department (in the picture, during their presentation), gave a presentation on smart cities and drones at Expodrónica 2020, which was held virtually in September.

Elsewhere, Ineco is involved in DACUS (Demand and Capacity Optimisation in U-space), which aims to develop a service-oriented demand and capacity balancing process for drone traffic management, integrating tools with predictions based on Artificial Intelligence. Ineco will develop a dynamic capacity model based on collision risk in this proposal led by CRIDA and ENAIRE, with EUROCONTROL, BR&T Europe, ISA, JEPP, Darmstadt Technical University (TUDA), SSG, Toulouse Metropole and AHA (Netgengid ehf) completing the consortium.