A delegation from the U.S. Department of Transportation visited Ineco’s headquarters in Madrid to learn about the Spanish railway model from company representatives led by its President, Sergio Vázquez Torrón
At a time when the United States is seeking to accelerate the modernisation of its transport infrastructure, railway leaders are looking to Spain as a benchmark. A delegation from the U.S. Department of Transportation visited Ineco’s headquarters in Madrid to learn first-hand about the Spanish railway model and share knowledge gained through more than three decades of high-speed rail development.
The delegation, comprising around twenty representatives and led by David Armstrong Fink, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), also included members of Amtrak and transport departments from various states. The group brought together organisations directly involved in railway safety, funding, planning and the development of new infrastructure, as well as the operation of intercity passenger services.
During the meeting, Ineco specialists presented a range of topics related to project planning, design and delivery, operations and maintenance, as well as the challenges involved in implementing major railway schemes.
Beyond technical solutions, the visit offered an opportunity to discuss some of the key factors underpinning the success of the Spanish model over recent decades: the ability to retain technical expertise within the public sector and transfer lessons learned from one project to the next; the consistent application of common standards and criteria; and the integration of all railway disciplines from the earliest planning stages. Within this framework, Ineco acts as the technical arm of the public administration throughout the entire infrastructure lifecycle.
The exchange also comes at a time of significant public investment in the United States. The Federal Transit Administration has confirmed USD 20.6 billion in federal funding for public transport in fiscal year 2026, supporting both new and expanded lines as well as the renewal of existing networks and rolling stock.
More Than 4,000 Kilometres of High-Speed Rail
With more than 4,000 kilometres of high-speed rail lines in operation, Spain has the largest high-speed network in the European Union and the second largest in the world, behind only China. Since the inauguration of the Madrid-Seville AVE line in 1992, the country has built up more than three decades of expertise in the planning, design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of high-speed rail infrastructure, with Ineco playing a central role throughout this journey.
This is complemented by a highly specialised railway ecosystem encompassing engineering, rolling stock, signalling and operations. Spain is among the countries with the widest deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), while its high-speed network has carried more than 400 million passengers to date. The market now also benefits from competition between multiple operators.
Spain’s experience further demonstrates the importance of approaching railways as an integrated system, where infrastructure, energy, signalling and rolling stock are planned in a coordinated manner. Equally important is maintaining a sustained pipeline of projects that enables technical and industrial capabilities to be preserved and further developed. This track record has turned Spanish railway expertise into an exportable asset and a point of reference for countries seeking to enhance capacity, efficiency and sustainability across their rail networks.
A Relationship with the United States Spanning More Than a Decade
The visit also builds on Ineco’s well-established presence in the U.S. market. The company has been exploring opportunities in the country for more than a decade, securing its first contract in 2017. Since then, it has delivered projects primarily in the railway sector, including high-speed rail, operations, maintenance and technical assistance, as well as work related to urban and metropolitan transport and the airport sector.
Key projects include technical assistance for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the future high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston; ORAT services for the commissioning of Moynihan Train Hall, the new railway concourse at New York’s Penn Station; and technical advisory services supporting the opening of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
This international positioning has also been recognised in the latest ranking published by the U.S. magazine Engineering News-Record (ENR), one of the world’s leading publications for the engineering and construction industries. Ineco has climbed two places to rank tenth in the programme and construction management fee ranking among companies headquartered outside the United States, entering the international top ten in a discipline focused on the coordination and oversight of major infrastructure projects.
