With the support of industrial partners, 3 Centres of Excellence formed by Technology Centres of the Rail Innovation Network (RIN) and Universities based in the Basque Country will be created in collaboration with the test and trial facilities present in the industry.
The Centres of Excellence will not only allow delivering new products and technology to the market faster, but will also help the Basque Country and the entities taking part in the project to maintain its position as leaders in railway technology on the world stage.
These centres will be set up in the following areas
• Digital systems
• Rolling stock
• Infrastructure
How is the RIN structured?
Digital systems
This centre will work on all the aspects related to digital rail innovation, providing a system-wide approach to transform research, development and innovation.
The digitalisation Centre of Excellence aims to address challenges such as future rail operation and control, smart monitoring and autonomous systems, improvement of users’ experience and optimisation of freight operations.
Rolling stock
The centre will cover all types of rolling stock: passenger, high-speed, freight, light rail and metro.
It will support research in several key areas to advance the rail transport of the future, contributing to key areas such as high-value rolling stock systems, whole-life asset optimisation and energy management.
Infrastructure
The research carried out at the centre will be based on the development of a safe and resilient railway system, with asset management, an increased capacity and an improved punctuality.
The aim will be to optimise infrastructure costs over its lifetime, taking into account investments, carbon footprint and social factors.
The centre will integrate associated specialised disciplines, such as noise and vibration, new propulsion systems or new materials.
