This program provides a comprehensive overview of the railway system as a whole. In fact, it covers the entire life cycle of the railway system, from the initial project phases through the construction process to subsequent maintenance. It also clearly reflects technological advancements in the railway sector, current regulations, and modern methods of railway maintenance. Due to its comprehensive nature, this program covers the various railway subsystems—such as infrastructure, superstructure, power, signaling, and telecommunications—from both construction and maintenance perspectives, with each subsystem having its own material resources, construction procedures, and specific maintenance requirements. Furthermore, the master’s program offers the opportunity to focus and specialize in two particularly attractive fields with high growth potential: high-speed and urban rail systems.
Objectives
The general objective of this program is to build the student’s capacities in different technical and management-related disciplines that are necessary for the design, construction and maintenance of railway systems and structures.
The specific targets associated with this program are:
- Learn the aspects related to the management of railway line construction, as well as those related to the modernization of existing lines in terms of legal constraints, financing of infrastructures, environmental management, supplier relationship, etc.
- Learn the main specific parameters necessary to design and draft railway infrastructure projects, whether for conventional, high-speed, metro or tram lines.
- Address technical aspects related to civil works involved in the construction of railway infrastructures such as viaducts, tunnels, earthworks, leveling, etc.
- Learn the current specifications necessary for the design and construction of railway systems in relation to track superstructures, electrification, substations, signalling, communications, etc.
- Have extensive knowledge of crosscutting aspects of railway maintenance management, such as quality, environment, safety, railway maintenance models developed by different European countries.
- Study the different infrastructure and superstructure track maintenance techniques, weld inspection and maintenance, expansion device regulations, etc.
- Learn maintenance techniques applied to electrification installations such as the catenary, substations, grounding installations, etc.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of railway signalling system maintenance: CTCs, interlocks, blockades, automated level crossings, etc.
- Learn maintenance techniques applied to railway network telecommunications and information systems.
- In relation to each of the specialties (High-Speed or Urban Railways), their objectives is for the student to learn the specific particularities in the Design, Construction and Maintenance of railway infrastructures in these two fields"
Methodology
At Educa PHAROS, we use a highly practical methodology focused on the direct application of knowledge in the student’s professional environment, combining theoretical content with real-world case studies, digital tools, and the guidance of a specialized teaching team.
Program
Railway projects
Quality management in railway projects
Environmental management in railway projects
Health and safety management in railway projects
Intermodality
Geological and geotechnical phases
Constitution of the platform
Platform protective layers. Settlement layers
Cuts and embankments
Engineering structures
The project of a tunnel
Excavation of a tunnel
Traditional excavation methods
Drilling and blasting
Mechanized excavation methods: headers and tbms
Viaduct project
Regulations and loads
Typologies
Viaduct construction
Viaduct reception
Layout components
Cant
Transition curves
Layout of transition curves
Other transition curves
Ballast. Introduction
Sleepers
Fastening System
Rail and welding
Switches and crossings and railway installations
Initial track assembly operations
Track assembly operations (I)
Track assembly operations (II)
Track devices assembly operations
Track assembly methods
Infrastructure and coordination works with rail operations
Commissioning of new infrastructures
Passenger terminals
Freight terminals
Civil protection
Railway electric traction
Railway electrification systems
Electric traction supply systems
Components of the railway power supply system by overhead contact line
Reference regulations and energy TSI
Geometric characteristics of the overhead contact line
Mechanical characteristics of the overhead contact line
Electrical characteristics of the overhead contact line
Dynamic characteristics of the overhead contact line
Constraints in the design of overhead contact line
Concepts and types of substations
Design of a substation
Elements of a traction substation
Protective equipment in direct current outputs
Energy remote monitoring
Design parameters of high-speed lines
Design parameters of metro lines
Design parameters of tram lines
Energy efficiency of the railway
Tram-train and tram
General considerations
Block assembly diagram
Train position detection systems
Signaling systems associated with turnouts and light signaling systems
Level crossing protection
General considerations
ASFA
The LZB system
ERTMS
The CBTC signaling system on metropolitan railways
Means of transmission by metallic cables
Means of transmission by fiber optics and radio links
Transport network
PDH access network
Voice switched network and data network
Management network and supervision systems
Voice and data services
Mobile services (I). Train-ground system
Mobile services (II). GSM-R system
Telecommunications rooms in buildings
Fundamental principles of maintenance
Types of maintenance
Coordination of maintenance and exploitation and incident management
Works on the track. Personnel involved, work regimen and risks
Traffic safety management systems
Stability of slopes and evaluation elements
Slope protection elements: metal nets, geotextiles, gabions and shotcrete
Retaining walls and earth pressure. Rankine theory
Earth pressure: coulomb theory and stability of retaining walls
Stability of embankments. Treatments
Infrastructure and superstructure
Drain maintenance
Tunnels maintenance
Unique buildings and drones
Diagnosis and rehabilitation systems
Repair and inspection procedures
Metal bridges
Reinforcements in piers and abutments. Treatments against oxidation
Concrete structures
Categorization of damage. Main inspections on bridges
Historical evolution of maintenance
Track maintenance programming
Operations constituting the conservation of the track
Typology of partially mechanized track maintenance work
Type of fully mechanized track maintenance work
Introduction to the maintenance of track components
The ballast, the sleepers, the fastening systems and the rail
Maintenance of track components (switches and crossings)
Slab track
Latest trends in superstructure maintenance
Flash-butt electric welding for rails
Aluminothermic rail welding
Inspections of aluminothermic weldings
Ultrasonic detection of rails and welding effects
Type of fully mechanized track maintenance work
Concept of track quality and quality quantification
Geometric and dynamic track auscultation
Analysis of geometric auscultation results: safety and comfort
Analysis of geometric auscultation results: rolling surface condition - wave wear
Analysis of the geometric auscultation results: rolling surface condition - vertical, lateral and total wear; average track gauge definition
Maintenance of the overhead contact line
Types of overhead contact line maintenance
Overhead contact line maintenance planning
Objectives, maintenance indicators and advanced maintenance of the overhead contact line
Geometrical and dynamic catenary monitoring
Support blocks and posts
Support corbel assembly
Compensation system
Overhead switches
Overlapping
Introduction to traction substation maintenance
Checks
Measurement systems and equipment
Voltages
Alternating current substations
Catenary protection systems
Grounding
Installation of a grounding system
Most frequent malfunctions
Assembly and laying of cables
Introduction to railway signalling. TSI on CCS
Lockout devices. Origins of Electrical Interlocks
Electronic interlockings
Installations to be controlled by the interlockings
Signalling Block Systems
Introduction to train detection systems. SIL
Track circuits separated by insulating rail joints
Train detection by axle counters
Half-barrier protection systems
Maintenance and troubleshooting in level crossings
Introduction to ATP systems. EBICAB900 system
The LZB system. Maintenance
ERTMS system. Maintenance
General description of the safety remote control
Remote control subsystems
Communications and fiber optical cable maintenance
Transportation Networks. Maintenance of Transmission Networks and DWDM networks
Maintenance of radio communications networks. Tren-Tierra and GSM-r
Maintenance of networks and data and voice services
Educa PHAROS is a training solution for businesses that centralizes learning, simplifies user management, and allows progress to be tracked through dashboards and reports.
It is designed for organizations that want to develop internal skills, standardize role-based training, and have traceability and learning metrics.
It includes learning paths by profile, user and permission management, progress reports, certification, and access to masterclasses or live sessions (depending on the plan).
It is based on best practices in security, access control, learning tracking, and implementation support. Customize this text according to your commitments (SLA, compliance, etc.).
Educa PHAROS is a next-generation training model that places a company’s human capital at the forefront. Through a platform that adapts to each company’s corporate image and offers a total of more than 900 courses, it provides training tailored to each organization’s specific needs. The unlimited flat-rate plan provides each company with the number of courses that best suits its needs, as well as the ability to determine which employees will have access.
Civil Engineering 
English 
Credits: 60 ECTS
Leadership and Management 
Spanish
60 ECTS