Sign Metro Station Gran Via in Madrid
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Chair of Railway Signalling and Transport Safety Technology / Chair of Planning and Design of Railway Infrastructure

Exploring railway systems under the Spanish sun

This is also #Transportstudying at TU Dresden: 21 students of the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences have been on an exciting excursion in Spain since 9 September.
By: Anke Richter-Baxendale •  Published on:
•  Last modified on: 03/27/2026 •  Estimated read time: 3 min

Interdisciplinary, practice-oriented teaching with its finger on the pulse awaits students at the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences at TU Dresden. This also includes numerous excursions, which are regularly prepared and carried out by various professorships. Currently (until 17 September), a group of 21 students with a focus on railways is on an excursion to Spain.

They are accompanied by PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Maschek (Chair of Railway Signalling and Transport Safety Technology) and Dr.-Ing. Sven Hietzschold (Chair of Planning and Design of Railway Infrastructure). Ulrich Maschek says about the aim of the trip: "Against the background of the introduction of interoperability and the European harmonisation of the railway system, the students are to gain an insight into the Spanish railway system and get to know various modern railway technologies, especially for high-speed traffic." In addition, the excursion also serves to gain insights into the research institutes as well as academic forms of work and the Spanish education system, and to exchange ideas with the scientists on site.

On the Instagram channel "listig_in_madrid" you can follow the group on their excursion to Spain.

The group set off by train towards Madrid on 9 September. It took 36 hours to travel across Western Europe.

The first item on the agenda was a visit to the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) on 11 September, including colloquia on Spanish railways and Industry 4.0 in high-speed train construction, as well as tours of the university, (railway construction) laboratories and the CEDEX (Spanish National Public Works Research Centre).

Other programme items:

  • Visit to the operations centre of the Administration of the Spanish High-Speed Network (ADIF - Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias) in Madrid.
  • Visit to the operations of the listed railway engineering company Talgo, based in Las Matas near Madrid. The company has been building, operating and maintaining articulated trains for day and night travel as well as high-speed trains for more than 70 years. The Dresden group visited the operations centre, the workshop and the training centre.
  • Visit to Madrid Metro's central maintenance depot Canillejas
  • Visit to the Madrid Railway Museum
  • Trip to Antequera with a visit to the Talgo gauge changing facility and a ride on a Talgo train with expert explanation
Background

The excursion was organised by the Chair of Railway Signalling and Transport Safety Technology and the Chair of Planning and Design of Railway Infrastructure at TU Dresden in cooperation with the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). The UPM is one of the partners of the Erasmus+ cooperation project "Economics, Ecology and Infrastructure at High-Speed Railway" and also the leading national university in the field of transport in Spain.

Content

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Studying Transport and Traffic at TU Dresden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujN7xMo1E8s&t=1s
The study of transport and traffic at TU Dresden is versatile, exciting and future-oriented. Whether it's climate protection, sustainability, liveable cities and communities or innovative technologies - you want to help shape things and not just drive along? Then studying transport is just the right thing for you! The film gives you an insight into the transport and traffic studies at TU Dresden, our laboratories, the everyday life of studies and research - practical and at the cutting edge.

Excitement during an exercise in the railroad laboratory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=H8IKS3cSt0Q&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fverkehrslage.vkw.tu-dresden.de%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
Victor is in his 3rd semester studying Transport Engineering at TU Dresden. He has been interested in railroads since he was a child and that's why he decided to study transport and traffic sciences. alpha Uni accompanied him during a simulation in the railroad laboratory.
Contact at Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, TU Dresden

PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Maschek
Acting Head
Chair of Railway Signalling and Transport Safety Technology
Mail: ulrich.maschek@tu-dresden.de

Dr.-Ing. Sven Hietzschold
Acting Head
Chair of Planning and Design of Railway Infrastructure
Mail: sven.hietzschold@​tu-resden.de

Studying Transport and Traffic at TU Dresden