From 4 to 6 October 2017, the High-Speed Rail Congress will be held in Ciudad Real, organized by the University of Castilla La Mancha (UCM) in collaboration with the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE), with Ineco participating with several presentations.

The Congress will focus on socio-economic aspects, technological changes and impacts on territory and mobility, and will bring together experts and stakeholders in high speed to share their knowledge and experience. More than 50 years after the start of high-speed rail in Japan in 1964, 35 years since its start in Europe, and 25 years since it was first implemented in Spain, the Congress proposes to discuss this railway system that has changed the concept of mobility itself. In addition to the FFE, the Congress is also sponsored by Renfe, Adif, the Professional Association of Civil Engineers, and the City Councils of Seville and Ciudad Real.

Ineco dedicated issue number 59 of its magazine to 25 years of high speed in Spain and the contribution made by Ineco.

Ineco technicians and engineers also participated in the report titled: The AVE to Seville/Infrastructures of the 92, broadcast on Saturday 22 of April 2017 at 21h on Canal Sur TV.

Gauge calculation is a complex process to check whether there is sufficient space between rolling stock and the infrastructure on which it operates. Gauges need to be defined for the construction of vehicles, the installation of equipment near the track and for loading open freight wagons, in order to guarantee rail traffic safety and to avoid interference between vehicles and between vehicles and track infrastructure. The implementation of these standards thus guarantees safety, preventing impacts between trains travelling on adjacent tracks or with the infrastructure itself, and always providing for a minimum margin of protection.

All gauges based on the kinematic calculation method, are based on a combination of the specific reference profile and its kinematic associated rules, that form an agreement between the rolling stock and the infrastructure. As defined in the EN 15273:2013 a ‘gauge is a set of rules including a reference profile and its associated calculation rules allowing definition of the outer dimensions of the rolling stock and the space to be cleared by the infrastructure’.

The conclusions of the gauge study are of great importance, as in addition to guaranteeing traffic safety, they can also have financial implications: in specific points such as structures or tunnels, the study may find that it is possible to reduce the size of rolling stock or that infrastructure requires enlargement.

Gauge studies for different track types can reduce tunnel cross-sections, implying significant savings

Regulations in a united Europe

There are different regulations for gauges, in Spain and in Europe. The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) was set up in April 2004 to develop procedures within the framework of interoperability and railway safety. This implies the implementation and development of Technical Specifications (TSI) for Interoperability and a common approach to questions concerning railway safety. To achieve this, the ERA contributes technically to the implementation of the EU legislation aiming at improving the competitive position of the railway sector by: enhancing the level of interoperability of rail systems; developing a common approach to safety on the European railway system; contributing to creating a Single European Railway Area without frontiers guaranteeing a high level of safety.

The aims of interoperability are to allow the safe and uninterrupted movement of trains and reconciling the various national railway systems of the EU countries, suppressing or reducing technical barriers. To improve the level of interoperability, ERA establishes and manages the development and updating of the TSIs.

TSIs are intended to foster the development of a single European railway system ensuring the essential requirements of Directive 2008/57/EC on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community. The TSI for the European Union infrastructure subsytem (Regulation nº1299/2014), in sections 4.2.3.1 Structure gauge, 4.2.3.2 Distance between track centres and 4.2.9.3 Platform offset, defines the gauge, the space between track centres and the platforms installation, according to Standard EN 15273:2013 Railway Applications. Gauges. In addition to this, gauge assessments are established in sections 6.2.4.1 assessment of structure gauge, 6.2.4.2 assessment of distance between track centres and 6.2.4.11 assessment of platform offset.

In Spain, Order FOM/1630/2015, of 14 July, has been drafted. The Order, published in Spanish Official Gazette (BOE) of 04/08/2015, approves the Railways Instruction on Gauges, which defines the gauges to be considered in the construction of vehicles, the installation of equipment near the track and the loading of open freight wagons.
The Instruction was drafted to be consistent with Standard EN 15273:2003 on gauges, and respects the TSIs for the infrastructure, rolling stock and energy subsystems of trans-European conventional and high speed railway systems.

Ineco’s experience with gauges

Ineco has participated in drafting both European Standard EN 15273:2013 and Order FOM/1630/2015, as an expert representative for the part concerning infrastructure (structure gauge). The company periodically attended meetings of the WG 32 working group of Technical Committee CEN TC256 for Railway Applications, and meetings of the National Mirror Group for Gauges (WG32 mirror group) AEN/CTN 25/SC04/GT 03 GÁLIBOS. Spanish and European railway sector experts (Adif, Renfe, Talgo, CAF, Infrabel, SNCF, Alstom, RSSB, RATP, ÖBB, etc.) have collaborated at these meetings. Order FOM 1630/2015 is applicable to the definition of the structure gauge and takes into consideration the planning of new railway lines and the adaptation of existing ones. The Order covers lines in the public railway network of Iberian, European standard or metric gauge tracks (excluding the Cercedilla-Cotos line in the province of Madrid).

The company has over 30 years’ experience working with gauges and more than five conducting studies for structure gauges and determining pantograph gauges, distance between track centres and installation of platform offset. This work has been done both for the planning of new railway lines and for the adaptation of existing ones in the public railway network of Iberian, European standard and metric track gauges. This process involves analysing track parameters (horizontal radius, vertical alignment radius, track type and condition, top speed, maximum cant and cant deficiency, etc.), making calculations according to European and/or Spanish regulations, creating diagrams and delivering reports describing the methodology used and the main conclusions. When the calculation process is completed, width and height values are obtained for each point studied.

This experience has allowed Ineco to calculate gauges in all areas of Spain, including stretches of the Mediterranean Corridor and the Basque “Y”, among other lines. Internationally, the company has carried out studies for the Haramain high speed project in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom’s HS2 (High Speed 2) project, which will connect London and Birmingham. Recently, in June 2016, Ineco staff spoke at a training event on gauges held by the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE, for its Spanish initials). The event offered an introduction to structure gauges and the practical application of calculating them.

The construction of a mining railway in Burgos at the end of the 19th century soon proved to be an economic failure, but the works led to the discovery of what are now considered some of Europe’s most important archaeological sites: the Sierra de Atapuerca sites (03). A significant part of the old railway trenches have since 2004 been used as a ‘greenway’: a nature path that is signalled, equipped, closed to motorised traffic and conditioned for use by walkers and cyclists. Its 54 kilometres are part of a network of nature paths which, under the registered trademark ‘Vías Verdes’, currently includes 117 routes around all of Spain and more than 2,400 kilometres of track; another 200 are to be added to this by the end of 2016. Each and every one of these routes is built on old, disused railway lines, which in practice means that their layout and gradients make them suitable for all kinds of users, including children, elderly people and people with reduced mobility. When the programme was launched 23 years ago, Spain had 7,600 kilometres of track that was out of service, a third of which has now been recuperated for this new use.

FROM NORTH TO SOUTH

Following the different greenways, visitors are able to enjoy the country’s great variety of natural landscapes and settings both inland and on the coast. For example, the Pas routes in Cantabria, or the Basque and Navarran routes of Bidasoa, Plazaola, or the Basque–Navarre railway (01) (86.2 km) cut across some of the most emblematic landscapes in northern Spain, with lush Atlantic beech and oak forests.

The Piquillo greenway and its continuation through Paseo Itsaslur, between Ontón in Cantabria and Muskiz in Biscay, is a unique route totalling just over 4 kilometres, which follows cliffs (there are plenty of fences) offering spectacular views of the coast. On the Mediterranean coast, there are routes from Catalonia (the Girona greenway network, totalling 125 kilometres) to Levante, such as the Ojos Negros paths (02) running between Castellón and Valencia, an old, 160-kilometre mining route; or the Noroeste greenway in Murcia (76 km). Even the island of Mallorca has a greenway, the Manacor-Artá route (29 km), which is connected by a cycle path to the Cala Millor beach.

CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE

Andalusia has one of Spain’s longest greenways, the 128-kilometre Aceite route, which crosses Córdoba and Jaén through a landscape of olive groves. Inland, paths which are noteworthy for their length (at around 50 kilometres) are the greenways of Alcaraz in Albacete, La Jara in Toledo, Tajuña in Madrid and Eresma in Segovia. The latter also offers the attractive bonus of a visit to the monumental combination of the city of Segovia and its Roman aqueduct, a World Heritage site. However, this is not the only greenway that is close to a city of tourist interest: the 2.75-kilometre Itálica route allows a visit to Sevilla; the Santander–Mediterráneo railway route (14 km) approaches Burgos and its cathedral, a jewel of Spanish gothic architecture; the Oliver–Valdefierro
Corridor route (2.6 km) passes the city of Zaragoza; and in Catalonia, the Carrilet route reaches its terminus in the old town of Girona.

Those who prefer to submerge themselves in history can visit medieval castles like the Valencia de Don Juan in León (Esla greenway, 11 km), the Bélmez castle in Córdoba (La Maquinilla greenway, 8 km) or the Biar castle (04) in Alicante (Xixarra greenway). On the Eo greenway (12 km), which runs between Asturias and Galicia, visitors can find prehistoric forts and dolmens; and on Huelva’s Molinos de Agua route (33.2 km), there are mines and the remains of Roman roads and megalithic monuments like the Dolmen de Soto. On the Pas greenway, it is worth highlighting the prehistoric caves of Puente Viesgo; and in the town of Baza in Granada, on the Baza greenway, there is a group of historical monuments and an archaeological museum with Iberian remains.

LIVING TREASURES

The Iberian fauna is another natural treasure put in users’ reach by the greenways. Vultures can be observed from the Préjano greenway in La Rioja and the Sierra greenway in Cádiz, for example. On the La Jara greenway (06) is Spain’s oldest recuperation centre for birds of prey; and the Casa del Oso (‘House of the Bear’, 05) (Senda del Oso greenway) located in Proaza, Asturias, is dedicated to the conservation of the Cantabrian brown bear.