The Círculo Ecuestre has transformed its headquarters into a meeting point to analyze the future of high-speed rail and its impact on sustainable mobility in Spain, in a colloquium organized by iryo that brought together public officials and executives from some of the country's leading transport operators.
The event, chaired by Enrique Lacalle, reinforced the Círculo Ecuestre's commitment as a space where business, government, and civil society share strategic reflection on infrastructure and the economy. The president welcomed the attendees, emphasizing the club's role as a common ground for these kinds of debates, at a time when mobility has become central to competitiveness and sustainability.
Participants included Fabrizio Favara, CEO of iryo; Manel Nadal, Secretary of Mobility and Infrastructure of the Government of Catalonia; Fernando Pacheco, Managing Director of MSC Cruises Spain; and Xavier Flores, CEO of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB); and Josep Maria Martí, president of Moventia. The conversation was moderated by David Guerrero, journalist from La Vanguardia.
One of the main themes of the discussion was the transformation of high-speed rail in Spain following the opening of the market to new operators. In this regard, the Barcelona-Valencia corridor featured prominently in the debate. Nadal, representing the Valencian regional government, argued that the direct high-speed connection between the two cities is key to the development of the Mediterranean corridor, both economically and in terms of territorial cohesion. Favara explained that iryo has incorporated this link into its growth roadmap tied to the Mediterranean Corridor and that the operator expects to be able to offer service once the standard-gauge infrastructure is available, with a target date of around 2027-2028.
The discussion also turned its attention to Europe. The future Barcelona-Paris connection served to highlight the need for France to move forward with opening its rail market. Nadal noted that the European Union is promoting a transport network prepared for both civilian and defense uses, and that this context necessitates improving connections between member states, making cross-border high-speed rail a strategic issue that extends beyond tourism or business travel.
The other participants offered a broader perspective on the mobility ecosystem. Flores highlighted that TMB is on track to close the year with an unprecedented volume of 700 million metro and bus journeys, driven by discount policies and a sustained improvement in service reliability. Martí championed the role of buses as an essential complement to high-speed rail in a region whose population has grown faster than its transport network, while Pacheco explained how the cruise industry is working to better coordinate passenger arrivals at ports with rail and urban systems, reducing environmental impact and improving flow management.
With this meeting, the Círculo Ecuestre has reinforced its position as a leading forum for the analysis of the major challenges of high-speed rail and sustainable mobility, providing iryo and the group of speakers with a privileged framework to share diagnoses, compare visions and explore new avenues of public-private collaboration in the field of transport.