The official presentation of the eighth edition of the International Ideas Competition took place at the Polytechnic School of Mieres on Friday, 29 January 2026, where academic and institutional leaders and representatives of collaborating companies encouraged students to participate. Under the slogan ‘Mieres AV. A station for the valley,’ the competition invites university students from around the world to design a high-speed railway station in the municipality, conceived as an intermodal hub and an opportunity for urban and territorial regeneration in the Caudal Valley.
In this edition, the focus is on the strategic role that Mieres can play within the Asturian railway network. Plasencia explained that previous studies carried out by the School itself show that Mieres station already attracts users from other parts of Asturias, including travellers from Oviedo and Gijón, drawn by advantages such as easy access by car and free parking. However, he also identified significant shortcomings in terms of being able to accommodate high-speed services in optimal conditions.
Among the technical requirements that proposals must take into account are the need for a 400-metre platform to allow double-unit trains to stop, as well as the expansion of the railway infrastructure to four parallel tracks, which would facilitate crossings and parking without interfering with traffic. In addition, the competition places special emphasis on intermodality, with adequate spaces for shuttle buses and better connections with other modes of transport.
Another line of work suggested by Mieres Town Council is the improvement of the connection between the station and the motorway link in Mieres Sur, as well as the urban and landscape regeneration of the surrounding area, including the improvement of facades and degraded spaces in the Gonzalín industrial estate, located next to the current halt. The aim is for the future station to be not only a railway infrastructure, ‘but also a gateway to the municipality and an element of urban transformation’.
Irene Méndez (Vectio), Joaquín Pertierra, Pedro Plasencia, Ángel Martín, Marta Jiménez and Ignacio de Prado.
The representative from Vectio, Irene Méndez, a transport engineer and former participant in the competition, encouraged students to get involved in this type of initiative because of its educational and professional value. “It’s a very good opportunity. These experiences will help you in your professional future and I’m sure that some very good ideas will come out of it, not only for Mieres, but also for Asturias,” she said.
For his part, the director of the Polytechnic School of Mieres, Ángel Martín, highlighted the unique nature of the competition, both for the centre and for the surrounding area. He highlighted that it is an international initiative, open to students from different universities, which allows them to ‘open their minds’ and enrich the debate with diverse perspectives. ‘Our goal is to highlight ideas and possibilities. There are many things to improve in our environment and much remains to be done. You will have the ability to improve the world around us,’ he said, referring to the role of future professionals.
Pedro Plasencia, professor in the area of Transport Engineering and creator of the competition eight years ago, explained the evolution of an initiative that has managed to establish a presence in more than a dozen countries and has had a notable academic and media impact. The competition, he recalled, focuses each year on a specific problem related to transport and urban planning in Mieres, combining technical analysis with territorial reflection.
The Councillor for Sustainable Development at Mieres Town Council, Marta Jiménez, highlighted that the competition focuses on key issues such as sustainable mobility, urban development and environmental regeneration. ‘We want a space that is a transport hub and a gateway to our region and even to Asturias,’ she said, emphasising that Mieres is a point of origin and destination for many high-speed travellers. Jiménez highlighted the collaboration between the university and the local administration as an example of joint work in the service of the region.
The competition rules are available at https://epm.uniovi.es/notfound?referer=/promocion/concursoideas2026
About Vectio
At Vectio, we focus on effective sustainable mobility planning; we are experts in this field. Throughout our nineteen years of existence, we have always maintained an innovative approach, focusing on the technological resources most demanded by our clients. We firmly believe that, after more than 1,500 successfully completed projects, what sets us apart from any other company in the sector is our use of the best technology for capturing and analysing traffic and mobility.