<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, met this Wednesday in London with the Minister of Transport of the United Kingdom, Heidi Alexander, with whom he addressed issues of interest in the field of transport and mobility, such as the future of the British railway network or the importance of advancing in decarbonisation.</strong></h4> “Bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Spain in the field of transport are excellent and I hope that our collaboration continues to be as fluid as until now to achieve sustainable mobility and strengthen connectivity,” declared the Spanish Minister of Transport. “It is a pleasure to receive Minister Óscar Puente today to talk about our shared objectives in terms of transport, including decarbonisation, more integrated networks, better bus services and greater rail freight transport,” said Minister Heidi Alexander. During the meeting, the minister applauded the British Government's decision to renationalise the railways and to commit to improving and expanding the railway network and expressed his interest in learning more details about the approved reform. “I welcome the British Government's decision to renationalise the railways through Great British Railways,” said Puente. “The train is the backbone of a sustainable, accessible, safe and efficient transport system and it is crucial that it has the full strength and involvement of the State,” he continued. “The Spanish railway model is an example, made up of public and private companies with extensive experience in operation, management, design and construction,” explained the minister. “It is this experience and leadership in the reorganisation and development of railway systems and the operation of all types of trains that we want to share with the United Kingdom to help strengthen its railway transport and advance decarbonisation,” he added. Puente took advantage of the meeting to convey the interest of Spanish companies in exporting the Spanish model and continuing to participate in the United Kingdom's infrastructure projects, especially high-speed rail. In this regard, the UK Transport Minister stressed “the importance of the transfer of skills between our two countries, with Spanish engineers helping to support key infrastructure projects here in the UK” and expressed her desire to “continue our joint work and deepen the ties between the UK and Spain”. The British Government has announced an improvement plan to adapt its railway to climate change and the risk of extreme weather events and has a project underway to build a high-speed line between London and Birmingham (known as the HS2 project, the most interesting to date for our business sector). Spanish companies, including the public companies Ineco, Renfe and Adif, are already participating in projects to strengthen the train and seek to deepen their presence, taking advantage of their potential and knowledge, both in management, operation, construction and engineering.
