(21/06/2011)  The Spanish delegation included representatives of the administration, industry associations such as the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), the engineering company Ineco, Adif, Renfe, the Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Equipment and Services for the Railway Industry (MAFEX), the Spanish Association of Construction Companies (SEOPAN) and the Spanish Association of Engineering, Consultancy and Technological Services Companies (TECNIBERIA).

In addition to the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Chicago, the conference was also organized by the California High Speed Rail Authority, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the California-Spain Chamber of Commerce.

Spanish Model

The meeting allowed analysis of the Spanish high-speed model and its translation to the development of new rail projects planned in the United States, which include the high-speed network in California. This corridor will link the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles in two hours and forty minutes. There will also be a branch line that will connect Los Angeles and San Diego in eighty minutes.

The conference was organized into three panels: the first one dedicated to explaining the benefits arising from high speed in California, the second, more technical, dedicated to issues regarding engineering, construction, financing, operation and maintenance, and the third dedicated to the role of the federal, state and local administration to ensure the success of the project.

This was how the Spanish experience was presented, with answers being given to some relevant issues that are still being discussed in the California project, including planning, sustainability and financing needs, which are vital in decision-making.

The Obama Administration, as part of its economic stimulus plan, envisages a total investment of more than 8,000 million dollars to develop eleven high-speed corridors, a project in which the Spanish have a very competitive position and very advanced technology.

Made in/by Spain

The next generation of railway rolling stock and high speed are two of the strategic sectors covered by the Support Plan for Spanish Companies in the United States - the Made in/by Spain plan - launched by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade through the ICEX.

The Spanish high-speed sector has become an international model due to the great development experienced in recent years and it is allowing Spanish companies to export their expertise overseas. Added to this is its competitiveness in all stages of the project: design, construction, rolling stock, fixed material, signalling, control, ticketing, operations and equipment.

Trade balance

The international leadership of the Spanish rail industry translates into a very favourable trade balance for Spain. Exports amounted to 791.2 million euros in 2010, while imports stood at 431.9 million euros, amounting to a surplus of 359.3 million euros. The trend was the same in the first quarter of 2011, with exports of 246.3 million euros and imports of 60.8 million, giving a surplus of 185.8 million euros.

As for foreign trade by the industry with the United States, the trade balance is also favourable to Spain. Exports were worth 18.8 million euros in 2010, compared to imports amounting to 4.1 million euros, with a total balance of 14.7 million euros favourable to Spain. And exports reached 5.3 million euros in the first quarter of this year, compared to imports of 0.4 million euros, giving a surplus of 4.9 million euros.

The participation of the Spanish rail industry in the new high speed plans for California is supported by the extensive international background of the companies in the sector. The 71 companies grouped into MAFEX, which represents 85% of Spanish exports in the rail industry are present in 97 countries on the five continents, where they have participated in numerous rail projects.