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

The purpose of the work carried out by Ineco for Renfe Viajeros at the San José de Valderas station, one of the three stations in the city of Alcorcón (Madrid), was to improve accessibility for passengers. The station complex consists of two buildings, one for each traffic direction, as well as two platforms and two tracks. These were connected by an underpass consisting of conventional fixed stairs, with no access for disabled passengers. It was therefore necessary to remove the stairs to make the underpass accessible, which involved the renovation and enlargement of the passageway under the tracks. In addition, two lifts were installed and an access ramp was built in three sections.

The San José de Valderas station on the C-5 Line of Cercanías Madrid –located in the neighbourhood of the same name in Alcorcón and to the north of the city centre– is included in the Cercanías Stations Plan approved by Renfe in 2014. This plan consists of improving the accessibility of 109 stations within the Cercanías commuter rail network, in  Asturias, Bilbao, Cádiz, Cataluña, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, San Sebastián, Santander, Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza.

With a length of 45.1 kilometres, the C-5 line handles the largest number of journeys (65.6 million) per year, offers 331,100 seats on a daily basis (according to 2017 data) and runs through the municipalities of Humanes de Madrid, Fuenlabrada, Leganés, Madrid (Atocha), Alcorcón and Móstoles. In total, the Community of Madrid’s Cercanías services transport more passengers than any other part of the Spanish rail network, exceeding 192 million users a year.

A comprehensive refurbishment

Access to the San José de Valderas station is through two buildings, depending on the street from which passengers enter. From Avenida de Lisboa, passengers enter the building’s concourse , which is on the same level as the train platform, by climbing stairs with an elevation difference of 1.60 metres. From Calle de Sahagún, the passenger building is entered under canopies that also connect it to the nearby shopping centre.

The passenger building on Calle Lisboa needed complete refurbishment and enlargement to enable the construction of new stairs and a lift to the underpass. The works carried out also included a new customer service area and the installation of ticket machines.

The refurbishment and enlargement of the building carried out by Ineco also involved rearrangement of the concourse, adapting the exterior access of the passenger building, relocating the turnstiles in the passenger building concourse on Calle de Sahagún and connecting the concourses of both existing buildings with the platforms and underpass, creating an accessible route that connects all of the levels of the station.

The works on the Calle Lisboa building involved demolishing the façade, extending the concourse area to the outdoor car park and building a new façade with access ramps to the outside, providing the station with a new, modern look for the city, inviting passengers to use rail transport.

With nearly 170,000 inhabitants, the city of Alcorcón and the more than 10,000 residents who use the station, now have more comfortable and modern facilities that have been adapted for people with disabilities. Other works included improvement of the exterior finishes of the platforms and complete replacement of lighting. A new route was also studied to provide access to the station’s car park, providing it with parking spaces suitable for the disabled.

Lastly, all of the actions in the construction phase were carried out without affecting passenger traffic.

passenger traffic in the Community of Madrid in 2017