MODURBAN Project
Metro de Madrid is participating in the design and subsequent development of the MODURBAN
(Modular Urban Guided Rail Systems) project, which will reduce average costs per passenger and
kilometre in European railway systems by up to 10%, and boost transport quality by increasing
capacity and improving accessibility, passenger information and energy consumption.
With the participation of 39 European companies, this project aims to develop a common core
of railway systems which will serve as a basis for all urban-guided modes of transport (heavy
metro, light rail and tramways) and affect signalling, the Central Control Office, energy saving
aspects, passenger information subsystems and communication systems.
With a budget of 20 million euros, this project and its final tests, part of the European
Union’s 6th Framework Programme, will also increase train productivity by 30%, provide
greater possibilities for component reutilization, reduce competitive bidding costs for suppliers,
bring down the prices offered by suppliers, increase reliability (by up to 25%) and cut maintenance
costs by up to 30%.
Finally, the unification of railway systems will increase energy efficiency by 10%, an
extremely important benefit for what is already an eco-friendly means of transport.
Metro de Madrid is participating actively in the project as the company in charge of
performing the integration tests on all the prototypes developed within the various modules that
make up the project. In order to carry out these tests, it has put a specially modified and adapted
series 5000 train at the disposal of the European consortium, as well as a section of track located
in the Saceral engine shed area and its connection with Line 9, on the section between Herrera Oria
and Barrio del Pilar, which has necessitated the installation of communication systems, the laying
of optical fibre and electrical wiring both in the tunnel and in the engine shed, and the
installation of specific balises on the track.
All the developments will comply with international safety regulations, thus enabling any
country to adopt them, as well as paving the way for future generations of guided public transport
systems.
The project is applicable both to new lines and to renovated or extended lines, and will
avoid the uncertainty of implementing new subsystems by providing a tested core of functionalities.
Consortium members
The 39 companies that form part of this consortium have joined forces to make common
proposals and offer solutions with the aim of developing a flexible, reliable, affordable,
attractive and more energy-efficient system for European cities.
The consortium members include the main European railway system integrators (Ansaldo-Breda,
Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier), subsystem suppliers (Alcatel, CSEE, Knorr Bremse, Invensys,
Frensistemi…), public transport operators (Metro de Madrid, RATP-Paris, BVG-Berlin,
RheinBahn-Düsseldorf, TMB-Barcelona, ATAC-Rome, LUL-London Underground, Lisbon Metro, MW-Warsaw
Metro- and DP Prague), highly-qualified research centres and transport associations such as UNIFE
and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).
