SPANISH rolling stock manufacturer Talgo announced on February 28 that its net profit reached €61.9m, up 3.8% in 2016 compared with the previous year, which the company attributes to “strong manufacturing activity” particularly in relation to the Mecca - Medina high-speed project in Saudi Arabia.

PASSENGER numbers on high-speed services in Spain rose by 5.4% to reach a record 35.21 million in 2016, according to annual ridership figures published by national train operator Renfe on January 18.

SPANISH infrastructure group FCC Construction announced on January 6 that it has completed the boring of the Bolaños tunnels on the Madrid - Galicia high-speed line.

FRANCE and Spain took control of the international high-speed rail link between both countries on December 21 after the contract with concessionaire TP Ferro was terminated following the company’s liquidation in September.

SPANISH national train operator Renfe opened economic bids for a contract to supply and maintain up to 30 high-speed trains at its headquarters in Madrid on November 22, with CAF and Talgo emerging as front runners for the contract.

The largest single arch railway bridge in the world over the Almonte river in Spain, which is nearing completion, is a towering victory for civil engineering, and also highlights the importance of careful project management in successful railway infrastructure projects, as Dan Templeton reports from Cáceres.

KNORR-BREMSE announced on September 28 that it plans to buy out its partner in its ICER Rail joint venture to expand its presence in the train braking friction materials market.

BASQUE metre-gauge operator EuskoTren opened a 1km branch of the Metro Donostialdea suburban network in San Sebastian on September 12, with the launch of the branch from Herrera to Altza.

THE President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Mr Carles Puigdemont, has opened a 1.5km extension to the Catalonia Government Railways (FGC) Vallès Line with three new stations in the Sabadell area of Barcelona.

A consortium of Ineco, Spain, its Mexican subsidiary Inecomex, Spain’s infrastructure manager Adif, and Cal y Mayor y Asociados, Mexico, have been awarded a contract to supervise the construction of an extension to Line 12 of the Mexico City metro.