Railsider took part on 19 May in the Strategic Rail Freight Forum, held in Madrid, an event that brought together key representatives from the rail and logistics sector to analyse the main challenges facing rail freight transport in Spain.
Representing Railsider, Pablo Antolín, Managing Director of Railsider Mediterráneo, took part in the panel dedicated to rail freight wagon operators, moderated by Andrés Arribas and attended by companies associated with FAPROVE.
The event addressed strategic issues for the future of rail freight, including infrastructure reliability, the competitiveness of rail transport, interoperability, the development of rail motorways and the promotion of European corridors.
The forum also highlighted one of the sector’s major challenges: how to increase the share of rail freight in Spain, which currently remains below the targets set for 2030. In this context, the different stakeholders discussed the need to combine investment in infrastructure with improvements in management, rail freight services and the coordination of works across the network.
In his speech, Pablo Antolín highlighted the importance of moving towards a more efficient and technologically prepared railway. From Railsider’s perspective, in addition to acknowledging the need for works on the network, it is essential to improve the way these works are coordinated and managed, especially for companies that do not have the backing of large shipping groups and need to maintain their competitive capacity.
Digitalisation was another central topic of the debate. Pablo Antolín pointed out the need for rail operators to promote technological investment and move towards concepts such as the smart train, through the digitalisation of everyday operational processes, such as brake tests.
Railsider’s participation in this forum reinforces its commitment to the development of more efficient, competitive and sustainable rail solutions, as well as to collaboration between companies, operators, institutions and experts within the logistics ecosystem.
