Instalaciones y Recursos Ferroviarios, S.L.U. (IRECFER) appears once again in the Anuario del Ferrocarril, the reference publication of the Spanish railway sector produced by the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles. We are repeating last year’s participation, and we are doing so with the same idea we had then: to be where the sector is, and to be there consistently.
A presence that is becoming established
Appearing in the Yearbook for a second time means something different from appearing for the first. The first time, a company introduces itself; the second, it shows continuity. In a sector where contracts are awarded years in advance and where trust is built one project at a time, that continuity is precisely the message we want to convey.
Each year the Anuario del Ferrocarril brings together infrastructure managers, operators, construction companies, manufacturers, engineering firms and installation contractors. It is both a snapshot of the sector and a reference tool for anyone who needs to know who does what within the Spanish railway industry. Appearing in its pages alongside the rest of the sector is a way of placing our work in context.
What we have been doing since the previous edition
Since the previous edition we have continued to develop our activity in the areas that define IRECFER: railway electrification and overhead line installation, traction substations, signalling and communications, power lines and railway civil works.
That work is spread across Spain and Portugal, where our subsidiaries allow us to support our clients in different markets, each with its own standards and working practices. That dual condition, a company rooted in Spain and a contractor with international experience, is what we have consolidated over recent years.
The work of the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles
The Yearbook is only one part of the work of the Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles, which since its creation has worked on the research, conservation and dissemination of railway heritage, and on promoting innovation in the sector.
That dual outlook, towards heritage and towards the future, makes sense in a sector like ours. Many of the lines we work on today were built decades ago, and modernising them requires understanding how they were built. Electrifying an existing line, renewing an ageing overhead line system or bringing an installation up to current standards is, at heart, a constant dialogue between what is already there and what is needed.
A sector with work ahead
The railway is going through a period of momentum in Europe, driven by the decarbonisation of transport, the improvement of freight corridors and the roll-out of interoperable signalling systems. All of that translates into works on the ground: lines to electrify, overhead line systems to renew, substations to build and terminals to connect.
For installation contractors that is a demanding scenario. It calls for technical capability, the availability to work in night-time possessions without interrupting services, and teams prepared to move between countries and sets of standards. That is the ground we work on, and where we intend to keep growing.
Thanks to the team
Behind every line of this announcement there is a team erecting overhead line at night, setting out supports with the track in service, and handing the line back on time. Appearing in the Anuario del Ferrocarril is a recognition that belongs, above all, to that work.
We will carry on in the same direction: getting right the installations that make it possible for trains to run.
You can find out more about our railway electrification services and see a selection of our works in the projects section. If you have a project on the table, contact us.
IRECFER Featured Again in the Spanish Railway Yearbook
