Fundación Valenciaport inaugurates the 3rd edition of its Railway Machinist Course

The first edition of the ‘Programme for the Joint Driver’s Licence and Driving Diploma’ achieved a 90% pass rate in the ‘Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Ferroviaria’ tests

Valencia, July 9th, 2024. – Last week took place the inauguration of the 3rd edition of the Fundación Valenciaport course for the joint obtaining of the Train Driver’s License and Driving Diploma.

The inaugural session included speeches by Rubén Marín, Deputy Director General of the Port Authority; Pedro Catalán, Director General of CSP Logitren and Ana Rumbeu, Director of Training of Fundación Valenciaport; who presented the key aspects of the programme; its operation, objectives, as well as the entities that endorse it.

Afterwards, José Cantero, CSP Logitren’s Safety and Training Director, gave the first session of the course, in which he explained to the students the working environment of the train driver, the history of the railway, the basic legislation and the main railway companies.

The aim of this course is to jointly obtain the train driver’s licence and the diploma that certifies the minimum general knowledge required to obtain category B certificates. Obtaining the Driving Licence and Diploma, together with the corresponding Certificate entitles the holder to drive trains on the General Interest Railway Network (RFIG).

This programme, whose first edition achieved a 90% pass rate in the ‘Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Ferroviaria’ (AESF) tests, includes a total of 1,150 teaching hours, with 650 hours of theory and another 500 hours of practical training.

The theoretical part will be taught at Fundación Valenciaport’s facilities, while the 500 hours of practical training will be carried out, in part, on board the trains of the company CSP Logitren, located in the Port of Valencia, with which the Foundation has signed a collaboration agreement for the practical training of its students.

In addition, with the aim of offering the students more specialised training, the programme will be completed with work experience on a simulator, as well as visits, workshops and other practical activities at terminals with rail connections.

During this first week of the course, the students have already enjoyed two visits, one of them to Stadler’s facilities, where they were accompanied by Juan Antonio Delgado, Director of Business Development, Marketing and Communication of the company, and another visit to the container depot of Trans-Base Soler, accompanied by the CEO of the company, Alfredo Soler.