More than 70 companies from sectors such as engineering, transport, artificial intelligence or digital transformation participated in the days of the collaborative project ‘Smart Train Smart’ of inclusive accessibility, launched by the clusters Railway Innovation Hub and Smart City Cluster, in collaboration with Fundación ONCE.

The meeting was inaugurated by the general director of Industry and small and medium-sized companies, Galo Gutiérrez, who highlighted how public industrial policies are geared to “sustainable, intelligent and inclusive growth” and that this is only possible “through collaborative programs and innovation ”for the development of cities and their infrastructure.

Reindustrialization and digitalization are two of the objectives set by the Industry representative in front of an audience of dozens of companies interested in participating in the ‘Smart Train Smart’ collaboration project. “Innovation is collaborative, facilitates the transfer of knowledge and helps improve business competitiveness, with the incentive that risks are shared, and entrepreneurship is encouraged,” Gutierrez concluded.

For his part, the president of Railway Innovation Hub, Juan Elizaga, said that the main objective of the cluster is “the development of technologies in the medium term, through collaborative projects that allow cities to be more sustainable and effective.”

And for this, he continued, “the railroad has to be prepared for the great future concentration of cities and be adapted to the needs of each user.”

In this sense, the general director of Fundación ONCE, José Luis Martínez Donoso, said that “the train is the means of transport most used by people with disabilities”, Finally, Mariano Barroso, president of Smart City Cluster, proposed the “joint objective of improving the communications of the cities and of the goods that are transported” and of obtaining from the administrations the firm purpose of “developing technology within the cities” because “smart cities need smart policies.”

The ‘Smart Train Smart’ project

The R&D research project ‘Smart Train Smart’ has a dual purpose: on the one hand it aims to achieve an effective and real integration of the railway sector in first and last mile strategies and, on the other, the application of innovative technologies to achieve more accessible train, subway and tram stations.

From this perspective, the two clusters launched this great collaborative project in which the participating companies will now propose joint work related to the creation of intelligent avatars and guidance systems in the stations for people with mobility difficulties and with the implementation of March of robots for luggage of people with reduced mobility.

‘Smart Train Smart’ wants to increase the transport of passengers and goods in trains, subways and trams making transport linked to cities more sustainable and, at the same time, solve possible barriers in the use of these means of transport with innovative solutions and making more visible the innumerable advantages of rail transport.

In short, it is proposed to improve people’s lives by contributing to create better cities through a considerable reduction of circulation in urban environments and the decrease of air pollution.

In this regard, the European Commission considers railway operations as one of the key elements to decongest transport and to ensure sustainable urban mobility, while urging urban centers to consolidate a model of surface-friendly rail transport with respect to the environment. environment and increase its competitiveness by improving relevant products and services.