From 19 – 23 March, the 1st Level 2 Training Session on High Speed Systems was held in Spain. The seminar was jointly organised by UIC and the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE) with the close cooperation of Adif and Renfe Operadora.

This second level of training – an extension of the Training on High Speed Systems (THSS) that UIC has organised every year since 2004 – is focusing on more in-depth and specific elements of high speed systems, with a particular emphasis on fundamental issues in planning the system (route definition, station and the city, demand forecast, standards, design, operation management etc.).

The theoretical sessions were followed by the analysis and discussion of a hypothetical case study through group work. These sessions and case study were combined with site visits to a number of Spain’s high speed rail depots. The participants had the opportunity to gain real insight into high speed systems thanks to the technical visits to stations, train maintenance workshop, traffic control centres, technical research centre etc. located in Madrid, Zaragoza, and Malaga, courtesy of Adif and Renfe Operadora.

The 1st Level 2 edition involved 18 participants from 8 countries (Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and UK) and 10 lecturers.