ALSTOM BELGIUM SA

Their core work

Alstom Belgium is the Belgian arm of Alstom, one of the world's largest rail transport manufacturers. Within H2020, they serve as a domain expert and technology provider across the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, contributing industrial railway signalling and automation expertise to nearly all major X2Rail programme phases. Their work spans advanced train control systems (ETCS, moving block), automatic train operation (ATO), cybersecurity for rail, and next-generation communication systems including 5G for railways. They bring real-world rail infrastructure knowledge that grounds research projects in operational feasibility.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2016–2018), Alstom Belgium focused on foundational signalling infrastructure — GNSS-based train positioning, ERTMS/ETCS systems, and core control system IP communication. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward operational prototyping and next-generation capabilities: automatic train operation, autonomous driving (TAURO), 5G rail communication (5GRAIL), and system-wide digital twin architectures (LINX4RAIL series). The transition from "making signalling work" to "making trains autonomous and connected" is unmistakable.

Alstom Belgium is moving firmly toward fully autonomous rail operations and 5G-enabled train communication, making them a key partner for any future project on smart, connected railways.

How they like to work

Alstom Belgium participates almost exclusively as a third party (9 of 10 projects), meaning they contribute industrial expertise through a parent entity or affiliated partner rather than managing EU administrative obligations directly. They operate in large consortia — 85 unique partners across 16 countries — which is typical for Shift2Rail programme projects. This pattern suggests a company that provides deep domain knowledge on demand but leaves project coordination to research-oriented partners.

Connected to 85 unique consortium partners across 16 countries, almost entirely through the Shift2Rail ecosystem. This gives them a dense network of European rail research institutions, operators, and technology providers — a valuable doorway into the rail innovation community.

What sets them apart

As a subsidiary of a global rail OEM, Alstom Belgium brings something most research partners cannot: direct experience deploying signalling and control systems on real railway networks at scale. Their consistent presence across the entire X2Rail programme (phases 1 through 5) means they hold institutional memory of how Shift2Rail's advanced signalling vision has evolved over seven years. For any consortium needing an industrial rail partner who can validate research against operational reality, Alstom Belgium is a proven choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TAURO
  Dedicated specifically to autonomous rail operation — perception, remote driving, and automatic diagnostics — representing Alstom's most forward-looking involvement.
• 5GRAIL
  Tackles the critical infrastructure challenge of replacing GSM-R with 5G (FRMCS) for train communication, a prerequisite for next-generation rail across Europe.
• X2Rail-3
  Prototyping phase of the X2Rail series combining moving block, cybersecurity, virtually coupled train sets, and ATO — the most technically ambitious of the series.