The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has contracted Ineco through a public tender to implement the BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology in construction projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the company’s second BIM contract in the region in recent months, following the recent contract to provide a training course for experts from another multilateral financial institution, CAF (see ITRANSPORTE 71).

The objective of the consultancy is to generate a methodology to measure the economic, performance and management impacts and results of BIM implementation in construction sector projects. The contract is for a period of five months and includes the implementation of three pilot projects.

Gauge changeover installations are a fairly new development in the history of railways, providing a solution to the strategic, economic and technical decisions of the past, when lines with different gauges were built in each country, making it difficult for trains to run between them: in Europe alone, there are four different main gauges: 1,000 mm (narrow), 1,435 mm (European standard), 1,520 mm (Russian gauge) and 1,668 mm (Iberian gauge). The inability of trains to change from one line to another with a different gauge has historically caused operational and travel problems, since it meant that passengers had to change trains, resulting in inconvenience, costs and wasted time.

In just a few minutes, these automatic systems allow trains to change their gauge. With this versatile and cost-effective solution, Spain is contributing to the integration of EU markets by reducing infrastructure bottlenecks

Spain’s case is particularly complex, as three types of track gauge coexist: the Iberian or conventional gauge, which is shared with Portugal, the metric gauge of the former Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE) lines, and the European standard gauge, which was adopted for high-speed lines. These are just three of the many gauges that exist in the world, making this technology exportable to other countries with similar characteristics, as is the case of the Baltic countries that currently have Russian gauge and are developing their Rail Baltica high-speed line in the European standard gauge. All of the countries of the former Soviet Union are in a similar situation.

A ground-breaking development

The departure of trains from Spain to France and the other countries of Europe that use a different gauge has been a constant challenge that has led to the development and improvement of gauge changeover technology. Until the late 1960s, border crossings were done by lifting the carriages and replacing the axles or bogies of one gauge with those of another gauge. The first use of ground-breaking technology that allowed gauge changeover by directly modifying the axle gauge as it passed through a pit took place in 1968 with the first test run of a Talgo Madrid-Paris train using the changeover installation installed at the Irún-Hendaye border; in 1969, the changeover installation was installed at Portbou-Cerbère, which was already in commercial service. These facilities allowed towed Talgo trains to run on routes between Spain and France in much less time.

Gauge changeover of Palencia. / PHOTO_INECO

Two decades later in 1992, with the opening of the first high-speed line –Madrid-Seville, designed with standard or international gauge– Spain made the decision to extend high-speed trains to other regions, planning the installation of gauge changeover facilities at different strategic points of its railway network. The Atocha, Córdoba and Majarabique changeover installations were built, enabling the Barcelona-Seville and Madrid with Málaga, Algeciras, Cádiz and Huelva connections to be established.

Automatic gauge changeover technology consists of a variable-gauge axle system installed on the trains and a fixed installation on the track where the locks that prevent the wheels from moving sideways are released as the train passes through. The wheels then meet converging or diverging rails that move them to their new position before locking again.

The first changeover systems did not allow the modification of the traction units, so the traction unit with the initial gauge had to be uncoupled, running the cars through the changer by gravity, and then coupling the traction unit with the second gauge. Likewise, all of the trains with gauge-changeover capabilities were manufactured by Talgo until 2001, which is when Renfe acquired new variable gauge trains with CAF technology from the Alstom-CAF consortium.

Gauge changeover of Antequera. / PHOTO_INECO

Because they use different technologies, dual-type changers are required, so that both technologies can be made compatible in the same installation. Two types of changeover installations are currently used in Spain, corresponding to the two manufacturers of rolling stock: the Talgo type and the CAF type. In just a few minutes, these automatic systems enable the train, which is equipped throughout with movable axles, including the traction unit, to change gauge at a low, controlled speed of up to 15 kilometres per hour without having to stop.

In the early generations of dual changers, the gauge-change platform needed to be switched. The first, TCRS1, folded the platforms vertically, and subsequently TCRS2 moved them horizontally. Then, in 2009, Adif began the design and construction of the first TCRS3 prototype, which combines the CAF and Talgo technologies into a single platform that modifies its parts to adapt to both systems. This considerably reduced the number of moving parts during the process and thus the time required for the gauge change. The first prototype was tested and validated in 2011 at the gauge changeover installation in Roda de Bará, Tarragona, with the first series units installed in León (Madrid-Asturias high-speed line) in 2015.

Gauge changeover of León. / PHOTO_INECO

Development is moving towards the TCRS4 or Unichanger, a universal changer that will also allow the changeover of the German (Rafil) and Polish (SUW 2000) systems. Progress is also being made on the future implementation of gauge changeover technology for freight trains. Ineco is working on both technologies.

MACAVI, a tool for monitoring and control

To control and monitor the maintenance of the gauge changers, Ineco has developed the MACAVI real-time information tool. Although it is made for gauge-changeover installations, MACAVI can be adapted to any other type of installation in terms of maintenance.

This technology can be exported to other countries with similar characteristics; this is the case of the Baltic republics, which currently use Russian gauge and are developing their Rail Baltica high-speed line on the European standard gauge

Its main functions include the inventory of the installation; the scheduling of the maintenance plan; the recording of parts and control of breakdowns, storage, circulation, incidents and user control. In addition, modules for personnel tracking and the integration of SCADA systems are currently being developed as an adaptation to Industry 4.0.l.

INFRASTRUCTURE WITHOUT BARRIERS

With this versatile and cost-effective solution, Spain is contributing to the integration of the markets by reducing infrastructure bottlenecks. It is therefore in line with the objectives of the European Commission, which is promoting the development of the major European corridors and considers freight rail to be a priority transport activity, setting the objective of increasing its market share to 30% by 2030 (Directive 2012/34/EU).

Since the early 2000s, Ineco has participated in the design of the different generations of changeover installations and has provided services to Adif, the Spanish railway infrastructure administrator, and to the manufacturers in different aspects of development and implementation: project drafting, technical assistance, project management and maintenance and operation of more than twenty automatic gauge changeover installations throughout Spain. As a result, Ineco has acquired particularly useful know-how when exporting the system to other countries, providing assistance throughout the process, from the planning of the itineraries to be developed, to the implementation, operation and maintenance of the systems.

The company has been involved in the design of the different generations of changeover installations since the early 2000s and has been providing maintenance services to Adif since 2008. / PHOTO_INECO

In 2012, Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and one of Africa’s major cities, reopened its railways after a century, with its first commuter line connecting the capital to the Syokimau neighbourhood in the south, which saw the construction of the first new railway station in 80 years. It was the first step to giving the city and its suburbs an accessible, efficient mass public transport system that will help to reduce congestion. Growth of the population –some four million people in 2019– has stimulated the use of private vehicles and the city’s popular minibuses, known as ‘matatus’, which operate as shared taxis.

For this reason, work is underway for the Development of Commuter Rail Master Plan for the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, and aims to make rail the alternative mode of transport for the 13 million people that the World Bank, which is supporting the project, estimates will live the city by 2030 (increasing to 22 million in 2045). By then, it is expected there will be a total of six commuter lines, with 163 kilometres of track, 53 stations and 1.4 million daily passengers.

The first actions recommended by the Master Plan include the purchase of rolling stock, improvements and outfitting of the existing workshop, works to improve the condition of stations and renovate the track, and obtaining technical support for the inspection, commissioning and operation of the new trains.

This final task is the one undertaken by Ineco for Renfe, which worked with its Kenyan counterpart –Kenya Railways– and the overall authority for Nairobi’s commuter network, NAMATA (Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority), on the acquisition of rolling stock in Spain, also including the supply of spare parts and staff training. With the support of Spain’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (via ICEX) and Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Kenya signed a contract in 2019 with SFM (Mallorca Rail Services) for the purchase of 11 diesel twin units and one trailer. Specifically, the units are Series 6100 units manufactured by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in the period 1994-2003, of which the first batch of five units has already been shipped to Kenya.

The units, which were withdrawn from service by SFM following the completion of the electrification of its network, have been reconditioned to extend their useful life by at least 25 years. Ineco carried out the pre-shipping inspection of the units, which departed from the port of Barcelona. Inspection included verification of the list of spare parts requested by Kenya Railways for maintenance of the fleet and checking the condition of the spare parts; inspection and recording the results of static and on-track tests carried out by SFM; visual and documentary review of the units and the reconfiguration of the Automatic Train Stop system (ATS) to factory settings, following the static and on-track tests.

CAF’s Series 6100 trains are equipped with two Cumins NTA-855-A diesel engines, one at each end, compressed air brakes and double doors on both sides. They can reach a top speed of 110 km/h. They measure 15.5 metres in length, 3.7 metres high and 2.5 metres wide and have a maximum capacity of 252 passengers: 156 standing and 96 seated. They have space for bicycles and door-closing warning alarms. A total of 52 were manufactured. They first entered service on the rail network in Mallorca in June 1995. They were retired progressively as the network was electrified and ran on the island for the last time in May 2019. In 2015, SFM sold 12 units to the French railways. In their new home in Kenya, the units will cover various routes from Nairobi to Syokimau, Embakasi, Thika, Kikuyu and Kitengela.

For Dr. Jorge Yunda, Mayor of Quito, the city’s first metro line is more than just emblematic infrastructure; it’s “an excellent opportunity for people to change the way they relate to each other”. The city’s authorities hope the new mass transport system will consolidate ‘Metro culture’. They also believe it will improve quality of life by saving time for residents, enabling them to be more supportive of one another, and allowing them to breathe cleaner air by reducing the thousands of tons of CO₂ they currently release into the atmosphere.

More than 400,000 people will benefit from the new sustainable transport system every day

With just a few months to go until its opening, Line 1 of Quito’s publicly-owned Empresa Metropolitana de Metro de Quito will be completely underground, have 22 kilometres of track built with cutting-edge technology and will be equipped with modern trains manufactured by the Spanish company CAF in the north of Spain. The line will have 15 stations stretching from the El Labrador station at the south terminal station of the old airport to the Quitumbe station south of the city, and a total travel time of 34 minutes. Four hundred thousand people are expected to use the new infrastructure every day.

The success of the Medellín Metro prompted representatives of Metro de Quito to sign a rail transport cooperation agreement with the Empresa de Transporte Masivo del Valle de Aburrá Limitada-Metro de Medellín (the Valle de Aburrá Limited-Medellín Metro Mass Transit Company). The agreement provides a framework for joint contribution, knowledge transfer and work in different areas related to the metro’s operation. Similarly, in August 2019, a cooperation agreement was also signed between the Central University of Ecuador and Metro de Quito. The ambitious construction project is supported by the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the European Investment Bank.

SUPPLYING THE TRAIN UNITS. Ineco has experience in provisioning many different types of large equipment projects, such as the construction of new EMUs, DMUs and locomotives, overhauling rail stock, freight cars, auxiliary equipment such as draisines, specialised infrastructure maintenance vehicles and on-board equipment.

Thirty years of experience

Just as it did with the trains built by CAF for Metro de Medellín Metro, at the start of 2017 Ineco began supervising the complete rolling stock acquisition process for the Empresa Pública Metropolitana Metro de Quito (EPMMQ – the Quito Metro Metropolitan Public Enterprise). The order included 18 trains with six cars each, plus auxiliary vehicles, equipment and tools for the depot, and spare parts. The railway experts from the Spanish engineering firm provided technical supervision and management of the design, build and tune-up of the trains, a task that involves monitoring compliance with production deadlines, the issuing of deliveries in running order, and ensuring maximum consistency throughout the design, manufacturing and factory testing processes.

The company’s extensive experience in supervising the design, manufacture and commissioning of all types of rolling stock, comes from its work dating back to the 90s in Spain, as well as its contributions to metro and commuter trains abroad, in the cities of São Paulo, Medellín and Santiago de Chile. Ineco’s qualified personnel and exhaustive knowledge of regulatory issues have made the company a household name in the world of railway rolling stock.

COMPREHENSIVE BUILD SUPERVISION. Metro de Quito commissioned Ineco, as a company specialised in subway-type rail transport systems, to supervise, evaluate and ensure full contract compliance throughout the stages of design, manufacture, transport and at tune-up at the final destination.

A long and painstaking process

The Ineco division responsible for the supervision of the design of the rolling-stock, which has an operating life span of 35 years, oversaw the process from the company’s Madrid office. Meanwhile, specialists from the company’s leading teams were present for approval tests carried out on-site at the installations of each of the main train equipment suppliers (in South Korea, China, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Finland, Portugal and Spain).

Ineco inspectors supervised train manufacture and assembly at CAF’s manufacturing plants

Build supervision, train unit assembly and factory tests were completed in the presence of inspectors at CAF’s manufacturing plants in Irún, Beasain and Castejón. The acceptance phase for the trains, auxiliary vehicles, depot equipment and spare parts took place at EPMMQ’s installations in Quito.

Ineco also provided technical assistance to FEEP (the Ecuadorian Public Railway Company) by inspecting three TD2000BB locomotives supplied by Euskotren, to verify their suitability to the track and traction conditions of the country’s lines.

Metro de Medellín has decided to modernise its fleet of 42 first-generation trains. Manufactured by MAN and Siemens AG, they are close to the end of their 30-year service life. In 2016, Ineco carried out a viability study of the project, and is now in charge of supervising the work, which will involve complete internal and external refurbishment of the trains at half the cost of buying new rolling stock, according to Metro de Medellín.

The modernisation includes replacing the powertrain with a state-of-the-art DC/AC system, changing the existing auxiliary power supply and air production systems for new equipment with greater energy efficiency, installing air conditioning units in the cabin and updating the trains to a more modern and contemporary design (interior and exterior), as well as other improvements that will provide these trains with an additional 20 years of service life. In mid-2018, Metro de Medellín also took delivery of 38 new trains manufactured by the Spanish company CAF, all supervised by Ineco.

Since the beginning of 2017, Ineco has been providing Metro de Quito with supervision of the entire process of acquiring rolling stock manufactured by the Spanish company CAF for the city’s first metro line: 18 trains with six carriages each, auxiliary vehicles, workshop equipment and tools and spare parts.  The company has gained extensive experience in design supervision, manufacturing and commissioning of all types of rolling stock since the 1990s both in Spain and abroad.

In recent years, Medellín has won a number of awards for management and urban planning, culminating in 2016, with the highest honour possible for a city: the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. This prestigious prize –whose only previous winners are the cities of Suzhou, New York and Bilbao– is awarded after thorough assessment of specific initiatives to transform urban environments, generating social, economic and environmental benefits that serve as a model for communities around the world.

The management of transport in the city of Medellín has much to do with this success. More than 20 years of ‘Metro Culture’ have resulted in a significant decrease in inequality and an upsurge in civic spirit and modernity. With its positive and uncompromising policy of social transport, for the past 22 years, Metro de Medellín has been the torch bearer lighting the way to new paths for this city of 2.5 million inhabitants, which used to be synonymous with danger. Medellín’s public transport network, which today boasts a metro system, Metrocable, buses and bicycles, and is accessible through a single-ticket system, has managed to unite the city’s districts and pull its people out of the ghettos. It has also helped reduce traffic congestion and noise and pollution levels. What is more, it has become an exemplary urban transport system thanks to the participation of citizens.

METROCABLE. Over the past 20 years, there has been a noticeable decrease in inequality and an upsurge in civic spirit and modernity. In the image, Line K in the direction of Santo Domingo Savio. / PHOTO_ OFFICIAL GUIDE OF MEDELLÍN (FLICKR)

In an interview with Itransporte, Tomás Elejalde, the general manager of Metro de Medellín, tells us that “Metrocable is one of our most innovative projects because, although cable car technology has existed for many years, Medellín is the first city in the world to use it for medium-capacity public transport and integrate it into a multimodal network like the one operated by Metro de Medellín.” Elejalde adds that this system was necessary due to the Medellín metropolitan area’s geographic characteristics and location in a narrow valley whose mountainsides are home to people with limited economic resources. “Thanks to the Metrocable lines, the inhabitants of these districts are now able to integrate with the rest of the territory rapidly, economically and safely. We currently have four in commercial operation, one under construction and another one whose construction contract has just been awarded,” he concludes.

Since 2011, Ineco has collaborated with Metro de Medellín on, among other work, upgrading its fleet, overseeing the design, manufacture, reception and commissioning of its new CAF trains, including onboard signalling equipment (ATC).

The experience gained from those years on has been a starting point and guide for building the backbone of the country, and we now have the second most extensive high-speed network in the world. In this quarter of a century since the first line was opened up to the current network comprising over 3,100 kilometres in service, the experts of Ineco have acquired unique experience in designing and constructing high-speed lines. The level of technology attained by companies of the Spanish railway sector has attracted such worldwide recognition that the specific term AVE (Alta Velocidad Española, or ‘Spanish high speed’) was coined to refer to the experience brought. This is because the development of this railway technology –a major political objective of the governments of the last 30 years– has involved conditions and challenges incomparable with the histories of the few other countries that have embarked on this project (Japan, France, China, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the UK and, very recently, the USA), and overcoming these has driven Spanish companies to the highest level of expertise. We dedicate this report to the personal experience and memories of those who were with Ineco from the beginning, working closely with Renfe and the Ministry on successfully achieving this large-scale project.

25 years, 25 experiences

Spain was the fourth country in the world to take on high speed, after Japan (Tokyo-Osaka, 1964), France (Paris-Lyon, 1981) and Germany (Hanover-Würzburg, 1991). When in 1986 the government decided to build a high- speed line between Madrid and Seville, Spanish consultancy and engineering firms gave the best of themselves to make it a reality. In less than six years they managed to cover 471 kilometres in two hours and 50 minutes.

FAMILY PHOTO. A group of Ineco engineers and technicians worked to make high speed a reality in the 1980s and 90s. In the picture, a large number of them are at the entrance to Ineco’s headquarters in Madrid. / PHOTO_ELVIRA VILA

The opening on 20th April 1992 –after a record construction time– was scheduled to coincide with the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992, and its challenge and aim were the economic development of Andalusia in the south of Spain. In the medium term, the government’s objective was much more ambitious: to build a new, modern railway network to be integrated with the future European high-speed network, a decision taken in the Council of Ministers in December 1988. As a product of this effort in innovation, investment and work, Spain ended the 20th century with the greatest transport engineering project, the first step in the radical change that has taken the railway network to the highest levels of efficiency and quality.

The speed with which the line was constructed –the work was performed over four and a half years– was related to the choice of route, which avoided the mountain pass of Despeñaperros, a traffic bottleneck from Madrid to the south of the Peninsula. In the search for alternatives, eight years earlier, in 1984, Ineco had conducted a study for Renfe on the economic and social profitability of a railway line from Madrid to Seville through Brazatortas-Córdoba. Two years later, on 11th October 1986, the government decided to prioritise the construction of this new railway access to Andalusia, named NAFA, which shortened the total distance by 100 kilometres. That same month Renfe entrusted Ineco with the execution of the preliminary and detailed designs for the main section, the Getafe-Córdoba stretch, 320 kilometres long with a maximum speed of 250 km/h.

In December 1986 a team was formed to carry out the work, creating a mixed office between Renfe, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and Ineco, so as to maximise its execution. From then until November 1987, a smaller group of engineers, draughtsmen and computer technicians began a frenetic race to carry out the preliminary and detailed designs for NAFA. Ineco directly completed 215 kilometres, and the best engineering consultants in Spain, such as Euroestudios, Intecsa, Eptisa and Iberinsa, were for the remaining 106 kilometres. All the infrastructure and track projects were undertaken and led by Ineco’s civil engineer, Jorge Nasarre y de Goicoechea. French firm Alstom won the contract to make the rolling stock (the trains) and the German consortium AEG Siemens was commissioned to electrify the entire Madrid-Seville railway line.

The opening on 20th April 1992 was scheduled to coincide with the Universal Exposition of Seville, and its challenge and aim were economic development of Andalusia in the south of Spain

On 5th October 1987, after delivering the initial projects, work began for the new Brazatortas-Córdoba line, a stretch of 104 kilometres named NAFA Sur (South). By the end of 1987, all remaining projects on NAFA were delivered, tendered and contracted. One year later the projects were modified to adopt the international track gauge, which is different from the Iberian gauge, with the intention that the new developments could be integrated into the European network.

At Renfe’s request, from April 1990 until the completion of the work, Ineco took part in quality control for the track to be accepted. The team of fourteen Ineco technicians led by civil engineer Ulpiano Martínez Solares, was advised by two German engineers sent by German firm DE-Consult (now DB), a subsidiary of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn. It is worth mentioning that both movable point frogs and those with a FAKOP solution, as well as the use of dynamic track stabilisers, were novel technologies in Spain. Today, our country is one of the leaders in designing and manufacturing these junctions. On the Madrid-Seville AVE we were able to improve the vertical stability of the track by levelling the land utilising techniques used in road construction. As regards lateral stability, Renfe’s technology was perfected by placing a pre-stressed or post-stressed concrete sleeper and elastic fastening, which enabled the rail to be soldered indefinitely. Additionally, using a 36 m basic rail –today, 90 m has been achieved– made it possible to considerably reduce discontinuities in the track in the form of electric welding.

Thanks to the knowledge acquired in the assembly stage, Ineco’s railway technicians got involved –after it was put into service in 1992– in track and infrastructure maintenance assistance, forming a team which today continues working for Adif on the Madrid-Seville line, on the Mora, Calatrava and Hornachuelos work bases. Ernesto Giménez and Santos López (together with Reyes García) continue working today on the Calatrava base; Alfredo Olivera, Francisco Rebollo and Juan Carlos Olivera on the Hornachuelos base; and Francisco Casasola and José María Melero on the Antequera base. Jesús Márquez Sánchez is currently working on the Extremadura high- speed line, Antonio Millán on the Villarubia base of the Madrid-Valencia AVE, and José Luis G. Sarachaga is assigned to the Vilafranca del Penedès base on the Madrid-Barcelona-French border AVE line. Rodolfo Velilla continues at Ineco as Maintenance Manager for the Madrid-Seville line and Manuel Corvo as a Senior Railway Expert.

In December 1991, Ineco collaborated with the Spanish government to prepare the parliamentary appearances of the then Secretary of State Emilio Pérez Touriño on the imminent opening of the line. On 14th April 1992 a maiden trip was made in which part of the government, and representatives of Renfe and the Ministry, the consultancy firms and the Ineco projects drafting team travelled to Seville. The journey lasted two hours and 50 minutes. The success of the operation enabled the first commercial trip on the line to be made on 20th April.

From that year until today, high speed has been an unstoppable force, solving great challenges: the first, the extremely complicated orography of the Iberian Peninsula. With such uneven land, building infrastructure for high-speed trains to circulate on –speeds of 250-300 km/h require tracks with inclines no greater than 3%– involved executing tunnels and viaducts specifically for this kind of traffic, with demanding track platform parameters and rigorous technical specifications. Another remarkable –and no less challenging– aspect of the Spanish case was the use of high-technology equipments from various manufacturers, generating a large capacity for integration and development of various technologies. To this it should be added that the Spanish railway network had been built with the so-called Iberian gauge (1,668 mm), which is incompatible with the standard or international track gauge (1,435 mm) established for high speed and used in most European countries. This made it necessary to seek solutions such as the incorporation of the three rails to make circulation compatible on both gauges, the development of modern, fast variable gauge changeover facilities to change the Iberian to the international gauge, and track assembly adapting elements such as the ballast, slab track, sleepers and their clips, track devices, electrification, fixed installations, signalling, etc. Adaptation of the track gauge to international standards culminated in 2012 with the connection for the first time with Europe by the line between Barcelona and Figueres-Perpignan.

Completing a railway project of this magnitude and the technical disciplines this entails have enabled Spanish engineering and industry to be at the forefront in construction, installation, tune-up and maintenance of high-speed lines. From its technological definition and the first earthworks up to commissioning, a work without precedent was carried out. Practically the entire railway sector has been overturned over decades, becoming a long and complex process that goes from preliminary feasibility studies, informative studies, studies of demand, economic and financial analyses, environmental impact studies and civil engineering, electrification and signalling construction projects, to designs of stations and urban access operations, finishing with the supervision, construction, implementation, exploitation and maintenance of lines and all special works such as tunnels and viaducts.

As a product of this effort, Spain ended the 20th century with the greatest transport engineering project, the first step in the change that has taken the railway network to the highest levels of efficiency and quality

The technical and communication differences among European railway networks have been another hurdle to overcome. Isolated from Europe by a different track gauge, Spain was the first country interested in overcoming distances and pursuing interoperability with its neighbouring countries. Today, it is a leader in implementing the ERTMS, the European rail traffic management system that will enable trains to move freely throughout Europe by overcoming the technical and operational hurdles of each system and country through a common language.

The technical and legal expertise of Ineco’s technicians has led them to collaborate actively with the EU’s ERA agency on the process of harmonising European railway networks. After years of dedication, European signalling systems have been standardised, and signalling control points have been interconnected with this system. This and other services have enabled the acquisition of a high level of know-how in safety systems and communications, on-track detection systems and train protection systems. This experience was complemented by the design and construction of centralised traffic control centres (CRC), from which high- speed tracks are managed using the Da Vinci system, a Spanish patent exported to the United States of America, Morocco and Lithuania and used in the underground rail systems in London and Medellín.

In terms of rolling stock, in Spain there are trains in operation made by various manufacturers, among them those of Spanish companies Talgo and CAF. Consultancy and engineering firms have participated in railway operations with latest generation trains which incorporate high-performance technology, i.e. that which enables speeds of up to 350 km/h. Their implementation involves the participation of experts on circulation, reception of rolling stock and on-board equipment.

The study, commissioned by the Metropolitan Environment Secretary of the Mayoralty of Quito and financed by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), aims to meet the local needs to manage the approximately 2,000 tonnes a day of waste with a high level of organic material produced in the city. The Government and local authorities have taken various actions to ensure integrated waste management under the concept of ‘Zero Waste’, based on managing efficiently, effectively and innovatively the processes of generation, collection, use and final disposal.

With this programme, Quito wishes to transform the management of the waste generated by the more than 2.5 million inhabitants of its Metropolitan District (DMQ), which is the most populated area in the country. For this, the Environment Secretary has drawn up a strategy to reduce the total amount of waste currently taken to the city’s landfill site by 10% by 2025.  This landfill site, referred to as ‘El Inga’, is approaching its capacity limit and will soon no longer be able to hold all the waste produced, hence the need for an imminent solution to the problem.  Among the plans laid out are ‘containerisation’ of waste (a technique consisting in mechanisation and automation achieved using containers), construction of sorting and treatment plants, and the implementation of citizen-oriented awareness-raising campaigns on recycling and waste reduction.

The city government has entrusted Ineco with leading the drawing up of the master plan

To deliver these plans, the municipal government has commissioned Ineco to lead the Master Plan for Comprehensive Waste Management for Quito for 2016-2025, which it has carried out in collaboration with Tragsatec, also a Spanish company. The main aim of this environmental consultancy has been to set out a realistic, economically sustainable waste management system that is flexible in its organisation and supported by a new, stronger legislative framework. The plan is a comprehensive update of that developed in 2012. Some of its main targets are: to increase mechanised collection by 40%, to boost new alternative models for handling waste by 60% by 2019, and to reduce production of solid waste per capita by 5% by 2025, the target date set for the plan.

The document defines management models for different types of waste: domestic, special (including demolition and construction), dangerous (including sanitary) and industrial. It also includes an economic and financial analysis, a proposal for organisational remodelling and a proposal for the legislative framework that regulates the provision of public ‘containerisation’, transport, and waste treatment and disposal services, as well as the activity of private agents.

Diagnosis of the current situation

The city of Quito’s current waste management system is insufficient to cope with current demand, therefore it is necessary to expand services and facilities for proper waste collection and treatment. Such is the case of containers, mobile means or specific treatment centres. Regarding waste from construction and demolition (debris), citizens do not have enough disposal sites for debris arising from small projects or domestic refurbishment.

Additionally, the use of illegal tips persists, and current tips do not have sufficient capacity in the medium term.  To the practical aspects such as the lack of freight lorries and sorting containers we might add citizens’ lack of awareness of how to sort waste at the source: with the lack of a recycling culture, citizens and companies dispose of waste in unsuitable places or give it over to unauthorised agents.

Local authorities are aware that, in order to make the necessary means available to citizens, it is vital to establish in parallel a new organisational and legislative system that protects the most disadvantaged, defines land use and establishes the obligations and functions of the agents involved.

Environmental regeneration in Quito

The plan put together is an ambitious environmental project spanning several aspects of great importance: from citizens’ education and awareness raising  –a fundamental aspect in any initiative towards sustainability– through acquisition of plants and recycling systems or the construction of an incinerator for deceased urban wildlife, to the elimination of all illegal tips and construction of new clean points and treatment centres.

The aim is to be able to serve 98% of the population with waste collection services by 2025

Among the 48 action lines planned are included: building a treatment plant for organic matter to obtain compost, an anaerobic digestion plant for organic matter to obtain biogas, and four manual plants for the sorting and classification of recyclables for their subsequent treatment; and all adhering to social inclusion principles.

Achieving the ‘Zero Waste’ targets also means changing the culture, which will require active participation from politicians, public sector workers, public and private employers, and all citizens. In drawing up the comprehensive management model, Ineco’s experts have taken into account current and future types of waste, so as to determine their components and establish the policies to pursue with each of them. The aim is to be able to serve 98% of the population with waste collection services by 2025.

For the plan to succeed, the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ)’s recruitment policy will include standards promoting the use of products manufactured using recycled and/or reused materials, such that there will be new legislation in 2018. The economic sustainability of the waste management system will require a system of taxes and cost allocation that pays heed to the various strata of buying power.

Although some elements and processes of rolling stock manufacturing involve mass production, no two orders are the same: each design, operator and railway network has its own individual characteristics, even if the supplier is the same. In addition to this, there is the fact that the many components and systems a train is equipped with, from the air conditioning to the brakes or the traction, are produced by different companies. These must be integrated into the design produced by the manufacturer, who delivers the rolling stock to the operators who will put it into circulation.

A high-speed train has very different features and characteristics than a tram, a commuter train or a freight train. Even so, what they all have in common is that they require experts to validate the design and to supervise the different tests (static and dynamic) that are carried out, both at the factory and on tracks, up until the train’s entry into service. The supervisors must assure from the very beginning that the rolling stock being assembled meets technical specifications and is adapted to the needs of the end client. This is the reason for the fundamental importance of validating the initial design.

They must also have detailed knowledge of international railway regulations, as well as those of the particular countries concerned. Supervisors must also be familiar with standards that apply to the main and auxiliary elements, both structural elements (body, axles, wheels, etc.) and equipment and systems (traction, brakes, train safety system, passenger information system, conduction system, emergency system, etc.). The supervision process must guarantee the reliability and technical compatibility of all these elements.

All types of trains require experts to validate designs and supervise the different tests carried out up until their entry into service

Ineco has extensive experience in this field, with professionals whose specific knowledge of each component make it possible for trains to be functional, safe and comfortable for users. This experience covers all types of rolling stock from all suppliers: CAF, Alstom, Siemens, Bombardier, etc. In the case of new railway projects, clients may also require technical assistance prior to the purchase of rolling stock. In 2012, Ineco collaborated with the Santiago de Chile Metro in preparing technical specifications for public tenders and in assessing bids for the modernisation of its fleet.

In Spain, the company has over 20 years’ experience in this area, having supervised over 200 high speed and over 750 conventional trains, 290 locomotives and around 75 metro trains and trams, as well as 1,400 freight wagons. Noteworthy projects abroad include numerous works carried out in Brazil for CAF and Alstom (suppliers to the Compañía Paulista de Trenes Metropolitanos, CPTM), in Colombia, where the Medellín Metro is renewing its fleet with new CAF units, and in Ecuador, which has purchased rolling stock from the old Feve or Euskotren for its railway network, for which it launched renovation works in 2008.

The tasks of design validation, review and supervision are applicable not only to new rolling stock, but also when updating operational units that require modernisation. This is the case with the forty-nine NS74 trains manufactured by Alstom for the Santiago de Chile Metro in the 1970s. Ineco is providing technical assistance for the detailed engineering and design for the process of modernising the fleet, working in conjunction with Alstom engineers in Spain.

The same is true with second-hand or surplus rolling stock which is sold on to another operator (generally abroad) and needs to be adapted. This was the case with the three new TD 2000 series locomotives manufactured in Spain in 2006 by the company Ingeteam, which were surplus to the requirements of the Basque operator Euskotren. The machines, accompanied by fifteen 3,500 series trailer cars (with no additional costs), were acquired by Ecuador’s railway network for its star product, the Tren Crucero (‘Cruise Train’) tourist line between Durán and Quito. Ineco, which also carried out the original testing for Euskotren, supervised the tune-up of the units for their new function, which is very different than their original intended use in a freight project.

For that reason, the machines have a powerful electro-diesel dual-mode traction system, large loading capacity and efficient braking systems. Their sturdiness and power make them very suitable for their new destination, as the ‘Cruise Train’ is a 450 kilometres of unelectrified line running through a mountainous region known as the ‘Avenue of Volcanoes’, where it reaches altitudes of over 3,600 metres. For that reason, the locomotives will only use diesel traction. In addition, the units required modification to travel on the Ecuadorian network, where the gauge is 1,067 millimetres, compared to the 1,000 millimetre gauge for which they were originally designed.

Works for the Medellín Metro

With a population of 2.4 million, Medellín is Colombia’s second city. In 2004, it pioneered the use of cable cars as a means of public transport, and now other cities have followed its lead: São Paulo in Brazil, capitals such as Bogotá (Colombia) and Quito (Ecuador), for which Ineco is producing a feasibility study, La Paz in Bolivia, etc. A dynamic city with difficult orography (it sits in a narrow valley, 1,300 metres above sea level), Medellín has invested in public transport as another element of social integration (the ‘metrocable’ lines serve the city’s least privileged neighbourhoods, or comunas) and sustainability: buses run on natural gas, all metros and trams use electric traction and a public bicycle system has been installed at stations. Mobility in the city and its metropolitan area is in constant growth, increasing road congestion and the use of public transport in its various forms: buses (MetroPlús, large-capacity buses that run on natural gas, the SIT or Integrated Transport System, and minibuses), trams, the cable car or metrocable, free public bicycles (EnCicla) and the over ground metro.

Metro de Medellín, a public company owned by Medellín city hall and the regional government of the department of Antioquia, is responsible for managing the network, which comprises two conventional metro lines, two metrocable lines (with two more to be added soon) and the Ayacucho tram line, opened in October 2015.
Having been in operation for 20 years, the company is now renewing its fleet; this has involved the purchase of new trains from the Spanish company CAF. In 2011, Ineco was commissioned to supervise the design and manufacturing of the trains, as well as their testing in the factory and on tracks and the subsequent entry into service of the initial batch of 13 three-car trains, equipped with the latest technology. In 2015, the company supervised a second batch of another 3 units as well as the on-board signalling equipment (ATC) for 26 drivers’ cabs. With the new CAF trains (20 in total), Metro de Medellín plans to increase transport capacity by 36 %, which will translate into reduced congestion at peak times.
In addition to this work, Ineco has carried out other projects for Metro de Medellín, such as feasibility studies for the recovery of the old Antioquia railway, renamed the ‘Valle de Aburrá Multi-purpose Railway System’. The project consists in renovating 80 kilometres of disused track for the transport of passengers and urban waste through the Aburrá Valley. The valley, created by the basin of the river Medellín, is a narrow stretch of land in the centre of the region of Antioquia and has seen intense urban development. In addition to the city of Medellín there are a further 10 municipalities, constituting an urban area with a population of over 3.3 million. For that reason, Medellín’s public transport system is designed as a multimodal network named the Valle de Aburrá Integrated Transport System (SITVA, for its Spanish initials) with stations that allow passenger to change mode of transport (for example, from tram to cable car, bus to metro or metro to bicycle). In 2010, Metro de Medellín implemented a metro and metrocable traffic control system based on Adif’s Da Vinci platform, developed by Indra. Two years later, it also incorporated Metroplús buses, Ineco took responsibility in this in the supervision and technical management of the extension of the system, which enables any incidents in the service to be managed and handled in real time.

Medellin Metro facilities.