Hi!!
I am Juan Ángel García-Cifo and this is my first post on the Architect-US Blog.
I want to start with my background, i was born in a small town in Spain, Albacete, in 1990. I was living there until my university years when I moved to Valencia to start my studies as a Civil Engineer at the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
It was during my last years at the university that I began to develop a great interest in transportation and especially in railway projects. It was precisely because of this and after trying a series of jobs as an intern that I decided to move to Madrid to begin my studies in the master’s degree in railway systems in ICAI.
Now, years later, I can say that this was one of the best decisions of my life, because there is nothing more motivating than working on what you are passionate about.
During my years as a professional in Madrid I have worked in different companies, all of them related to the railway world, such as INECO, Siemens Mobility and CETREN. I have specialized in European interoperability regulations, which is the one that allows the rail transport system in Europe to have fewer barriers between countries. In addition, I have worked as an independent safety assessor to ensure that rail projects take into consideration all risks inherent in the design and production of a rail line or rail vehicle.
Some of the most important projects in which I have been involved are:
- High Speed Line Madrid – Antequera – Granada
- High Speed Line Madrid – Alicante – Murcia
- High Speed Line Madrid – Orense – Santiago
- High Speed Lines Mediterranean Corridor, Vandellós – Tarragona
After thinking about it for a while, I thought it would be a good opportunity to work in the United States of America. During the process, the Architect-US team resolved all my questions and was very quick with the process, allowing me to have my J1 visa ready sooner than expected. The interview at the embassy, despite the queues, was quite fast and the questions were very simple: «What do you do in Spain?» «What function are you going to perform in your role in the United States?».
In my training in the United States, I will be part of the SENER team for the development of the Las Vegas – South California (Victoriville – Rancho Cuamonga) high-speed line, a Brightline West project.
Brightline West expects to offer a journey time of approximately 2h 15min, operating at a top speed of 290km/h, which reduce to a half the equivalent journey by road.
I will keep you informed about my evolution in Las Vegas and the evolution of the project.
Thank you very much for reading my post.
