World creativity & innovation day (April 21)
Innovation as a lever for the development of new technologies that improve the quality of infrastructure. This has been one of the strategic pillars of COMSA Corporación throughout its 125 year history. In 1982, it was the first company to commission the Rapid Track Renewal Train in Spain and in 2014 the company was awarded the prize for Best Railway Station in Europe in the medium-sized category for the use of innovative techniques in the construction of the Necatibey station on the Ankara Metro. The group currently has more than 50 ongoing national and European innovation projects related to its different areas of business.
In the field of railway infrastructure, COMSA leads the GAIN project within the European LIFE+ funding programme for the recovery of a type of steel waste, black slag, for use as material for the subgrade and sub-ballast of railway lines. Its application is expected to improve the durability and load-bearing capacity of the track, reducing the amount of natural aggregates used for this type of construction as well as reducing the cost and the amount of slag sent to landfills.
The NEOBALLAST project has recently been awarded funding within the European ‘Fast Track to Innovation’ (FTI) programme, which will allow the industrial production of this high specification ballast that reduces the level of degradation and attenuates the noise and vibrations caused by the trains running on the tracks. This is the culmination of years of research and development to improve one of the critical points of railway infrastructure.
In the field of civil works, through the European project ANAGENNISIS, the company is developing innovative solutions for the sustainable reuse of end-of-life tyres in construction. As research has confirmed, the steel and the textile fibres can be used as reinforcement in concrete structures of all kinds, providing additional strength and greater resistance to cracking.
In the engineering business area, the technical division of the group is participating in the GEOTECH project within the European Horizon 2020 call for proposals for the development of new geothermal solutions, such as thermoactive foundations, with the aim of constructing low energy consumption buildings. Also, through the project SIMARA, COMSA Industrial is working on a tool, using real-time information and based on augmented reality, to support the operational maintenance of industrial plants.
Along with the R&D projects in infrastructure and engineering, the group completes its commitment to innovative solutions in other areas of business such as water technology and broadcasting. The engineering company Adasa is participating in the European project R3Water, which aims to provide technological solutions to improve the performance of wastewater treatment plants and achieve the reuse of water resources and the recoverable products that they contain. In addition, the company Egatel is collaborating in the ONDADA project to increase the coverage of the AIS (Automatic Identification System) maritime communications service in order to optimise the management of maritime traffic and increase the safety of the crews.
Viaduct of Deza (High Speed Line Lalín – Silella)
