Presentation of the private-sector flagship transformational project “New Generation of Trans-European High-Speed Trains”

It is the eighth private-sector flagship transformational project under the Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030, aimed at developing a new high-speed train capable of operating across different European countries, featuring a sustainable modular traction system.

This Transformational Project addresses the fragmentation of the European railway sector, where trains are manufactured for individual national markets, making cross-border operations more difficult and increasing production costs.

The project is expected to create more than 140 highly skilled jobs in the Basque Country, backed by an investment of €105 million over three years, of which €78 million will be allocated to R&D.

The project, led by Talgo, will involve 12 Basque companies, including 10 SMEs, and will benefit from the collaboration of the MAFEX cluster. In addition, it will engage various technology centres and organisations from the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network, led by CEIT.

The Basque Country will lead the development of the new generation of trans-European high-speed trains through the “BasqTrain 35” Transformational Project, led by Talgo, to develop a new very high-speed train capable of operating in all European countries, featuring a sustainable modular traction system.

This Transformational Project addresses the fragmentation of the European railway sector, where trains are manufactured for individual national markets, making cross-border operations more difficult and increasing production costs.

The project is expected to create more than 140 highly skilled jobs in the Basque Country, with an investment of €105 million over three years, of which €78 million will be devoted to R&D.

The launch event was attended by the General Deputy of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe; the Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi; and the Chairman of Talgo, José Jainaga, together with other authorities and senior representatives of all the companies involved in the project’s value chain.

The General Deputy of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe, highlighted that: “When we say that Bizkaia is a territory of innovation, we mean that we have the capacity to turn an ambition such as designing the trains of the future into a project that is moving forward. That is why we encourage R&D, support the financing of industrial projects, work to attract and train talent, and strengthen the roots of our companies. Each of these decisions provides momentum for initiatives such as BasqTrain 35 to progress.”

Etxanobe stressed that: “Today we are talking about more efficient trains, new materials, digitalisation and solutions for more sustainable mobility. We are also talking about where this knowledge will be developed, where these decisions will be made and what opportunities our young people will find. We want them to find worthwhile projects here. We want them to be able to contribute, from Bizkaia and from the Basque Country, to the development of technologies that will be used throughout Europe.”

Minister for Industry Mikel Jauregi stated that: “The sustainable mobility sector is a strategic driver and an ‘Irabazi’ sector within the Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030, and through this Transformational Project we aim to make a significant leap forward in the development of proprietary high-speed rail technologies. The Basque Country has the industrial and technological capabilities required to develop the new generation of trans-European high-speed trains.”

Mikel Jauregi added: “When decision-making centres are located in the Basque Country, industry does not merely manufacture; it makes decisions, conducts research, develops technology and innovates. Strong local roots are the foundation that allows our industry to innovate and compete in global markets. The eight private-sector flagship Transformational Projects are already mobilising close to €1 billion in investment, with more than half allocated to R&D and technological development. Commitment, innovation and competitiveness go hand in hand.”

Talgo Chairman José Antonio Jainaga said: “We are leading BASQTRAIN 35, a major transformational project involving a significant number of companies from the Basque industrial, technological and scientific value chain, with the aim of strengthening the Basque Country’s leadership in high-speed rail. We must continue innovating in order to compete in a global market and remain among the sector’s leading players.”

Jainaga explained that: “Through this initiative, we are undertaking commitments that will drive the entire ecosystem forward, with concrete and measurable objectives such as extending the energy-efficiency advantage of our high-speed trains; enhancing capacity through advanced industrialisation and artificial intelligence; innovating in the versatility of our carriages so that they can operate across different countries around the world; improving the passenger experience through comfort and accessibility solutions in order to reinforce our position at the forefront of the sector; and implementing predictive maintenance and digitalisation systems through intelligent monitoring.”

Ingeteam will develop solutions for next-generation trains, contributing its expertise in power electronics, control systems and energy management. The project will make it possible to advance distributed traction systems and new control and monitoring technologies, improving energy efficiency, reducing weight, and optimising space utilisation and maintenance for high-speed trains.

The project, led by Talgo, will involve 12 Basque companies, including 10 SMEs, and will benefit from the collaboration of the MAFEX cluster. In addition, it will engage various technology centres and organisations from the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network, led by CEIT.

Nineteen of the twenty-five Transformational Projects have already been launched: eight led by the private sector and eleven by the public sector

The Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030 originally included 23 flagship Transformational Projects led by both the public and private sectors. Two additional private-sector Transformational Projects have since been incorporated: “Zero Emissions Marine Boat” and “Smart Hydrogels for Nanomedicine.”

The Industry Plan is a dynamic framework through which Transformational Projects are developed, and additional projects are expected to be incorporated as industrial needs continue to evolve.

In total, 19 of the current 25 Transformational Projects have already been launched: 11 led by the public sector and 8 led by the private sector.

The projects led by the public sector are: ESG Euskadi; Euskadi: Climate Change Adaptation Living Lab; Planning of Basque Electricity Networks (more than 40% capacity increase); Euskadi SpaceLab (ESA BIC); Renewable Energy Development; Improvement of Administrative Processes (Regulatory Highway); Strategic Reserve of Industrial Land and Infrastructure; Scale Up Fund; Euskorpus; Basque Circular Metals; and Emakumea Industriara.

The seven private-sector-led projects presented prior to today’s launch are: “New Aircraft Engine Architectures for Sustainable and Competitive Aviation in Euskadi”; “ROBOOST”; “Smart Hydrogels for Personalised Nanomedicine”; “Renewable Fuels Hub”; “Grid4Industry”; “Zero Emissions Marine Boat”; and “Flexible Automotive Manufacturing”.

These eight private-sector flagship Transformational Projects represent an initial investment of more than €965 million, of which €507 million is allocated to R&D and technological development. Together, the eight projects are expected to create more than 3,990 high-quality jobs over the coming years and will generate opportunities for a further 182 companies, the majority of them SMEs within the Basque industrial ecosystem, in collaboration with the country’s technology centres.