The 1950s and 60s: expansion and development In the nineteen fifties, the company participated in the urban expansion of Barcelona, in its Ensanche district, as well as in extending its Port and the construction of the   Contradique del Este wharf. The electrification of the "8 Catalan", which includes the railway lines that join the city of Barcelona to Tarragona and France along the coast and the interior, took place at the end of this decade, as part of the Modernisation Plan of the Spanish railway company, RENFE. 1953 Edmond Hillary reached the summit of Everest 1955 Spain joined the UN 1959 The birth of Uderzo's Asterix In Spain, the sixties meant the start of motorisation, of the first urban toll motorways, as elements that characterised the economic development of the country during these years. The company actively participated in the main construction works and started its geographical expansion, broadening its activities to the rest of Spain, opening delegations in Valencia and Madrid. 1961 Yuri Gagarin: the first man in Space 1964 Mary Quant: the miniskirt revolution In 1964, the company changed its name to Construcciones Miarnau, S.A., coinciding with a change of generation in the company and the start of the mechanisation of the railway work. This stage is characterised by its great dynamics, heavy investment in transport infrastructure and the inclusion of technical novelties, such as the replacement of wooden sleepers by concrete ones, the suppression of joints and the automatic system for changing the axle gauge for international connections, with a gradual increase in the speed of trains and, above all, in passenger comfort. The progressive mechanisation, with the incorporation of successive generations of gantries, tamping machines and ballast cleaning machines, to be able to cope with RENFE's Modernisation Plan, enabled COMSA to achieve 200 km of assembled or renewed track and 300 sidings a year; worthy of a mention is the renewal from Valencia to Tortosa, the renewal and extension to double track between Sant Vicenç de Calders and Molins de Rei, or the marshalling yard at Can Tunis in Barcelona. 1967 First heart transplant was carried out by Professor Barnard 1969 Neil Armstrong: first man on the moon