We got on the train and parked at the the world of rail, featuring an interesting interview with an industry expert who has more than 20 years of experience.
director of the Master's Degree in the Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Railway Infrastructure and Facilities.
But first… Who is Mario Ferreiro Casal? It is Civil Engineer with a master's degree in civil engineering and an expert in railway engineering; he serves on the Board of Directors of the Spanish Transportation Association.
It features more than 20 years of experience in the railroad industry, especially on high-speed lines and metropolitan rail systems, with extensive knowledge of the Design and maintenance solutions to be implemented on railway lines and has participated in numerous international projects.
In addition, he has has been involved in the certification and approval of major developments in track materials. He has been a featured speaker at various conferences on slab track, high-speed rail superstructure, unique challenges in metro and tram systems, and maintenance costs on high-speed lines, among other topics. He actively participates in various railway working groups and industry-specific committees, where his work has been recognized in various technical publications.
.png)
As a Railroad Expert… Could you briefly tell us about your work and your career?
«My professional career has always been linked to the railway world, since 2000 I have been working in various positions related to the high speed.
Throughout this time, I've had the opportunity to participate in and follow many of the major projects that have put Spain as a leader in the sector. My entire professional career has run parallel to the unstoppable development of the High-Speed Rail Lines in Spain. There have been 20 Years of Growth in the Industry, both in the domestic and international markets, and I have been fortunate enough to be part of this technological development from various roles.
Within this broad field, I have focused primarily on the areas of railway infrastructure and railway superstructure. All of these topics are covered from different perspectives, ranging from the planning and construction of railroad lines to their maintenance in recent years, with a focus on administration and management of those.
As a result of this experience, I have been able to develop my skills as a trainer and speaker through talks and conferences, and I have even participated as technical expert in different international standards on a variety of topics. This aspect allows me to stay up to date and share my professional experience«.
Sustainable mobility has emerged as a key strategic objective in the plans of public institutions and organizations. What can engineering contribute to this issue?
«The sustainable mobility, the energy transition and renewable energy, align perfectly with what the railroad stands for; an alternative mode of transportation to other, more polluting methods.
While everyone agrees that for distances between 500 and 600 kilometers, rail is the most efficient option in terms of cost and time, when we factor in the variable of the environmental sustainability, its benefits far exceed those of other modes of transportation.
And it's not just because of his electrical nature, In addition, there are initiatives underway such as the uses of hydrogen which further highlight that Rail is at the forefront of sustainable mobility«.
In your professional profile, be sure to highlight your role as a trainer. Why the shift to education?
«The initial push came from the company where I've been working for the past 20 years, INECO, where I began as an instructor on topics related to track superstructure, railway maintenance, metropolitan rail systems, railway regulations, track installation and maintenance costs, etc.
Since then, I've been gaining experience in this field of training at both public and private institutions, always from a railway perspective. Of particular note is the Structuralia, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia or the University of Cantabria, among others.
Similarly, I have been able to share my knowledge and experiences in countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Israel, Venezuela, Peru, and Thailand«.
To meet the strong demand for sustainable mobility projects and plans, we need trained professionals. Where do you think formal education currently stands, and what initiatives do you think are needed to round it out?
«It depends on the institution, of course, but it's true that at the formal education in the railroad sector It is not covered in depth. In this regard, graduate-level education is a perfect complement from two perspectives.
First, because universities do not provide the necessary expertise due to a lack of time in a field as broad as rail transportation. And second, because companies offer the experience that is often lacking in universities.
In these master's degrees, where the instructors come from the business world, it is possible to expose students very directly to the problems and the real-world solutions that shape the day-to-day work of professional development in the railroad industry.
Many of these real-world lessons learned at the national level have been successfully applied to other contexts international projects (such as the Mecca-Medina high-speed rail line, for example), placing the The Spanish railway sector is among the most advanced in the world«.
In closing… What do you think are the challenges facing the transportation sector that engineering can tackle?
«The Spanish construction companies are a prime example of excellence, not just because we are the the world's second-largest country in terms of high-speed rail lines, but also because, Civil engineering firms are among the best in the world.
If we focus on the rail sector, we can indeed invest more in innovative projects, so that, together, we can work toward a sector that is more open in terms of regulations and projects.
While it is true that we are strongly committed to rail safety—which is a very good thing—the excessive number of hurdles involved in bringing products to market often prevents us from taking advantage of innovations more quickly. In a global and dynamic world like the one we operate in, We need a great deal of agility to implement innovations in each of these sectors, and the rail sector is no exception. We often struggle to implement new ideas, projects, or innovations in our sector, and we need to work on this so that our time-to-market aligns with what is necessary in the current context.
Having that agility shared by other sectors »This could be an area for improvement that would further position the Spanish railway sector among the world's leaders.".
From Structuralia We thank Mario for giving us the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the situation, challenges, and progress in the railway sector, in which he plays a leading role.
