At the SkyCostanera, 61st floor of the Great Costanera Tower, the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the State Railway Company (EFE) and the Swiss Railway Industry Association (Swissrail) took place. Subsequently, the attendees, led by Swiss and Chilean authorities, participated in a celebratory cocktail at the ABB offices in Chile, located on the 11th floor of the same building.
“Swissrail is an industry association that has more than 130 members. The reference is the Swiss railway system, which is highly efficient, sustainable and provides its users with a memorable experience. It is an honor to be part of this mainly technological collaboration,” said Luis Rodríguez.
For her part, Helene Budliger, Secretary of State for the Economy of Switzerland, highlighted the importance of this alliance for her country, pointing out that Chile is a key partner due to its wealth and diversity in natural resources, as well as its crucial role in the transition. towards more environmentally friendly energies.
"Being able to sign this collaboration is very important for us. Although trains are considered a thing of the past, they are also crucial for the future. We must strengthen the use of this means of transport, since its ecological impact is significantly lower compared to other means ", stressed Helene Budliger.
Along the same lines, the general manager of EFE, José Solorza, applauded the signing of this memorandum, arguing that it will help the energy reconversion of trains in Chile. “We must work to reduce the carbon footprint, transforming processes to access cleaner, less polluting and more efficient energy.”
For the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, this alliance, which is part of the Trains for Chile plan, will help revitalize railway tradition and culture, especially in regions. "That is why I am pleased that EFE has established this agreement with a Swiss entity specialized in railway issues, which will give us the opportunity to learn from their experience and incorporate new technology," commented the Secretary of State.
The role of technology companies
Regarding the role that companies dedicated to industrial technologies such as ABB can play, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications indicated that it is important to have the participation of companies that are at the forefront in terms of innovation.
"The Swiss industry is very powerful, not only in infrastructure management, but also in the development of next-generation technologies for trains. This would benefit us in railway development and in the implementation of control, safety and service planning systems ", commented Juan Carlos Muñoz.
Meanwhile, the Swiss State Secretary for Economy highlighted that "in the process of modernizing the railway system, ABB is one of the key companies that can contribute to improving the efficiency of trains. The company has cutting-edge technology that "It allows us to use energy more intelligently, which is essential to reduce our environmental impact. In the railway sector, ABB has a lot to contribute."
For his part, Luis Rodríguez added that “ABB has specialized technology in energy conversion. “That is one of the solutions in which the company can play an active role, in addition to contributing to control, predictive maintenance and other outstanding solutions.”
