Seminar organized by the Spanish Transport Association in collaboration with the Civil Engineers Association

The seminar on “CHALLENGES OF THE LAND TRANSPORTs POLICY IN SPAIN FOR THE PERIOD 2017-2020”, organized by the Spanish Transport Association, will be held on 16 March 2017, at the office of the Civil Engineers Association, in Almagro, Madrid.

The Seminar will commence with the presentation and opening session at 9.30 am with the following participants: Mr. Juan Santamera, President of the Civil Engineers Association, Mr. José Mª Pérez Revenga, President of the Spanish Transport Association and Mr. Pablo José Rodríguez Sardinero, Managing Director of Transports for the Community of Madrid.

Doctor of Law José Antonio Magdalena, Secretary of the Spanish Transport Association, of Counsel in Villalba Coloma Ankersmit and specialist Consultant in Railway Law, will present the first paper entitled “Retos para el transporte ferroviario: las empresas públicas y la liberalización”.

The aim of the seminar is to analyse the main issues and problems in connection with the land transport in Spain, detecting its main challenges, to which it has to adapt.

The analysis will be made considering both the present situation of the railway and road transport sectors in Spain and the projections emanating from EU institutions.

Therefore, and in relation to the railway transport, the matters of most interest will be presented, such as the fourth railway package of the EU, the possibility of establishing a new organizational model between the administrator and the exploitation of the railway infrastructure, and the problem of promoting the carriage of goods by railway. The most essential issues regarding the announced liberalization in the exploitation of high-speed lines will be specially discussed.

In relation to the public road transport, the already long process of the general open competition and the different matters of interest (terms and conditions for competitions), as well as the possibility of other mixed liberalized models for the exploitation of the so called road transport of passengers public services for general use. Special use services and touristic services will be likewise subject of attention. All the above will be examined both from a national and a community perspective, also taking into consideration the powers of the Autonomous Communities, which at present are, in their majority, designing the future framework for the exploitation of this type of services. Finally, it will be likewise discussed in the seminar the issue of the railway-road competition. As regards the public carriage of goods, it will be discussed the need for a new access regime to the sector, in view of the litigations existing at present with the model in force, the judicial resolutions of which shall have also an impact on this same access regime to the public road transport of passengers.

As regards urban transport, the seminar will likewise address the challenges to be faced by the same, the first of those challenges being how to maintain the quality of service, taking into account the present restrictive budgets, whilst contributing to the increase of the society’s quality of life; therefore, the issues related to its financing will be commented. Furthernore, it will be discussed the intermodality among the different types of urban transport, as well as its role in European mobility strategies and matters. Finally, its contribution to the environment and the sustainability in general will be analysed, as well the advances deriving from the continuous technical progress.