Page 3 - Research and innovation un materials applied to railways

I. INTRODUCTION

Rail has established itself as one of the most competitive industrial sectors in Spain, with
an ever increasing business presence internationally and national projects development.
The challenge of maintaining growth and global position has already been met and now
the sector should aim to continue its leadership and to harness new opportunities arising
from emerging markets.

The sector should aim to build upon its key areas of strength: sustainability, efficiency,
safety and security, which calls for greater R&D&I investment by business, research
centres, universities and other organizations, such as platforms and associations.

The constant need to overcome the technological barriers of new applications and
growing environmental awareness, presents new challenges for the transport sector. New
construction solutions and materials are being searched for with a view to decreasing
weight, costs, improving recycling processes, and consequently C02 emissions; all of which
integrating quality and standards and bringing about standardization.

The use of new materials has been a constant in all sectors, including rail, since the
beginnings of its development in the mid 19th Century. The need to employ new materials
is ever more important in meeting the growing demands for sustainability and efficiency.
This requires rolling stock to be lighter and move on infrastructure able to support greater
speeds, loads and passing frequency; reutilization and recycling of materials; and meeting
the comfort demands of passengers and those who reside in proximity to the railway line.
All of these demands need to be met without reducing system safety.

The Spanish Railways Technological Platform (PTFE) aims to create tools that support the
scientific and technological development needed to strengthen the competitiveness,
internationalization and sustainability of the rail sector. In this framework and in
accordance with guidelines from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PTFE´s
accountable body), it understands that the relevance, development and application of
advanced materials, nanomaterials, etc., in the field of rail sector research and innovation,
are key factors to strengthening rail industry competitiveness and leadership.

It is within this context that the current “Position Paper: Research and innovation in
materials applied to railways”, aims to be at the forefront of development, innovation,
future trends and applications in new materials for the different subsectors of the rail
system. This strategic document, produced under the coordination of TECNALIA´s
Industry and Transport Division and with the participation of business, research centres
and research groups from different universities, all PTFE member organizations, brings
together a series of challenges and recommendations regarding technologies, materials
and specific issues, structured under three headings: rolling stock; platform and track; and
facilities.

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