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 Mexican capital, which changed its name in January 2016 from the Federal District to Mexico City, is an enormous metropolitan area with a population of almost 21 million inhabitants, making it the largest city in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. The backbone of the city’s public transport system –which includes buses, trolleybuses, trams and commuter rail– is its almost 200-kilometre-long metro network, which transports approximately 8 million passengers a day spread among its 12 lines and 195 stations.

The Line 12 extension route.

Ineco, through its subsidiary Inecomex, together with its partner in the country, Cal y Mayor y Asociados, is carrying out the comprehensive management of the project (project management) for the management, coordination and monitoring of the Mixcoac-Observatorio extension of Line 12, also known as the Golden Line, the newest line in the CDMX Metro network. This line opened on 30 October 2012, has 20 stations and has a total length of 24.5 kilometres. It is located in the southern part of Mexico City and runs east to west. It connects to other lines in the system: Line 7 in Mixcoac; Line 3 in Zapata; Line 2 in Ermita and Line 8 in Atlalilco.

Management of Line 12

A team of more than 80 professionals is responsible for managing the works, which include the construction of 4.6 kilometres of tunnel –with the main tunnel covering 3.6 kilometres– and three new stations: Valentín Campa, Álvaro Obregon and Observatorio, where it will connect to Lines 1 and 9. The section also has 13 skylights, some of which will also serve as emergency exits, rectification substations and larger ventilation units.

Inecomex and Cal y Mayor are providing senior management services for this complex project, with teams of renowned experts at the national and international levels in different specialities to ensure efficiency and compliance with the project’s targets in terms of budget, deadlines, scope and quality. The consortium has also collaborated on monitoring environmental and urban impact measures and its tasks also include the coordination of the rolling stock tests.

The project will include the building of a new 4.6-kilometre section and three new stations: valentín campa, álvaro obregón and observatorio

Once the line is in operation, the new extension will represent a major improvement in mobility between the west and south of the city and will reduce the saturation of Lines 1, 2 and 3. The future Observatorio station will also allow connection to the new Mexico-Toluca interurban train service. From the environmental point of view, it is estimated that the emission of more than 3,700 tons of CO₂ per year, or the equivalent of almost 6 million vehicles, will be avoided.

The consortium

The Inecomex-Cal y Mayor consortium is managing all phases of the Line 12 extension project: design, planning, execution of works and management of material and financial resources. The consortium is also collaborating on monitoring environmental and urban impact measures and will coordinate rolling stock tests.

An aerial view of the Calle E skylight.