COMSA EMTE consolidates its rail expertise in Spain with new projects in the Regional Communities of Madrid, the Basque Country, Andalusia and Catalonia. Present in the sector since 1891, the company has won several contracts for high-speed, conventional and underground railway.
In the Basque Country, COMSA has been awarded the contract for the construction of the Mondragón-Bergara section (Kobate sector) on the high-speed line Vitoria-Bilbao-San Sebastián/French border, the so-called ‘Basque Y’. The work includes the construction of 2.9 kilometres of international-gauge track, including four tunnels and two single track viaducts as well as the drainage works, structures and cross-connections. The project is valued at 56 million euros and represents the first of the sections of the Bergara Junction, the confluence of the branches connecting the three Basque capitals.
In the field of high-speed rail, COMSA EMTE has also won a contract on the new Antequera-Granada line through EMTE, the group company specialising in the installation of facilities for the railway sector. The engineering company will be involved in the construction of the overhead contact line and associated systems in a stretch covering 180 kilometres. Works include the electrification of the catenary and associated facilities (tunnel lighting and switch heaters) and are valued at 16 million euros.
Activity in the Madrid and Barcelona Metros
COMSA has increased its presence in the Madrid Metro with various projects to maintain and renovate the network. The company has been awarded the contract for the maintenance of the track superstructure on six lines for 2014 and 2015. With this contract, the company is now responsible for the maintenance of the half of the capital’s suburban railway. Backed by over 120 years of experience in the maintenance and renovation of railway infrastructure, COMSA is also carrying out work involving replacement of rail and fasteners across the entire network and has improved the impermeability of the track of line 10.
In the Barcelona Metro, EMTE has been awarded the contract for the electrical, mechanical and fire prevention installations and access control in the Zona Universitaria and Campus Sud stations on Line 9. The company, as part of a temporary joint venture, will carry out installation of the different facilities that make up the stations: medium and low voltage power supply, ventilation, sanitation etc. The contract also includes electrical installations for lighting and power inside the tunnel from Campus Sud to Zona Universitaria and the electrical systems relating to tunnel ventilation.
In the field of railways, COMSA EMTE has won two contracts in the project to extend the Catalan Regional Government Railways (FGC) line inSabadell(Barcelona). COMSA will participate in the assembly of the floating slab track and the catenary on a stretch of3.5 kilometresfor 8.3 million euros, while EMTE will supply the electricity, communications and non-railway facilities. Both contracts account for a combined value of 17.7 million euros.
In parallel with this, the group’s construction and engineering companies have teamed up to undertake the development of the area adjacent to the access to Sants station, one of the busiest hubs of Barcelona’s railway network. The work will cover an area of 33,740 square metres and its aim is to improve accessibility for pedestrians with the installation of ramps, lifts and escalators.
The COMSA EMTE managing director of Infrastructure and Engineering, Jaime Mulet, affirms that “the complementary nature of the of activities of COMSA and EMTE allows us to strengthen our rail expertise, providing an integral customer service and giving us access to national and international projects of great complexity.”
For his part, the director general of EMTE, Guillermo Lorenzo, asserts that the company “is firmly committed to the railway sector, where we have contributed our experience in engineering projects in almost all of the Spanish high-speed lines, as well as the main metro lines in the country.” 
