SENER signs an agreement with ADIF, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the CIDAUT Foundation

SENER engineering and technology group has signed an ownership, protection and rights distribution and results marketing agreement for the Aurígidas Project together with ADIF, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and the CIDAUT Foundation. The agreement was signed on Wednesday July 18th at ADIF’s facilities in Madrid. In attendance were SENER’s General Manager of the Civil Engineering and Architecture Business Unit, José Gregorio Briz; the President of ADIF, Enrique Verdeguer; the Rector of the UPM, Carlos Conde; and the representative of the CIDAUT Foundation, Juan Carlos Merino.

The Aurígidas Project which is led by SENER under the auspices of the Spanish National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation, has made it possible to develop an aerodynamic sleeper called the “Aerotraviesa” which will reduce the flying ballast phenomenon, thus diminishing to a great extent one of the disadvantages associated with very high-speed rail traffic.

Under this agreement, the four entities will be able to use the patent freely on their own or to outsource the manufacturing and production of the sleepers for their own use. In addition, all of the parties may promote and market the patent, and they will work together to optimize the use of the product. The terms agreed upon will include a use and commercialization benefit proportional to the percentage each entity possesses.

The Aurígidas Project has led to an increased understanding of how ballast works in tracks in the field of very high-speed trains. This greater understanding has made it possible to develop a technical standard for evaluating the aerodynamic loads of the different types of trains operating on a specific rail infrastructure, and to produce an innovative product in the form of the aerodynamic sleeper, with a design that reduces the effect of the phenomenon known as flying ballast in rail lines running at speeds greater than 300 km/h.

It should be noted that this product has significant potential for commercializing its operating licenses among companies that specialize in manufacturing sleepers. It could also be applied in new high-speed infrastructure projects, including the Medina-La Meca line that ADIF is helping to build.

SENER is one of the world’s leading railway engineering firms. The company has pioneered high-speed concepts and designs, and its portfolio includes having performed studies or projects for over 13,000 km of rail lines.