Press Release #4 – Innovation in Europe for the Future of Railways: stakeholders meet at Miramón, Spain, to discuss challenges and opportunities for the sector

Innovation in Europe for the Future of Railways: stakeholders meet at Miramón, Spain, to discuss challenges and opportunities for the sector

Press Release #4

The event “Innovation in Europe for the Future of Railways”, organised by CEIT, took place last week at Miramón Technology Park Central Building, gathering representatives from industry, railway operators, public administrations and the European R&D ecosystem to address the current challenges and opportunities facing the railway sector.

The meeting opened with an institutional welcome by Jaizki Mendizabal Samper, Director of Sustainable Transport at CEIT, followed by a presentation by Ricardo Campo from Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, who outlined the European vision for the future of rail and its key role in sustainable mobility.

Technical discussions were organised around two main thematic areas. The first session focused on maintenance and infrastructure, with contributions from David Villalmanzo, coordinator of the FP3–IAM4Rail project (ADIF), Juan Carlos Sánchez (voestalpine), Joaquín Botella (Sener) and Pablo Ciáurriz (CEIT). The second session addressed digitalisation and autonomous vehicles, with interventions by Eduardo Rivas (Renfe), Mikel Labayen Esnaola (CAF), Sonia Miguel (Teltronic) and Jaizki Mendizabal Samper (CEIT).

A round table on the role of Public Administration in the railway sector featured Manuel Campayo (Renfe), David Villalmanzo (ADIF) and Cristina López (Euskal Trenbide Sarea), moderated by Nerea Castaños Fernández (MAFEX), highlighting the importance of public-sector involvement in driving innovation.

The event concluded with a closing speech by Amaia Martínez Muro (SPRI Group), who highlighted the importance of promoting and supporting Basque industry through R&D initiatives.

The discussions took place in a context of significant challenges for the railway sector, underlining the need to advance towards a more innovative, resilient and sustainable European transport system through collaboration and knowledge-sharing.