Virtual certification and simulation for rail vehiclesprimary
2 projects
PLASA-2 focused on virtual certification and mixed virtual-experimental authorization; PIVOT addressed vehicle performance on track.
Organization
ALSTOM ENGINEERING AND SERVICES LIM
Major UK-based rail vehicle manufacturer contributing industrial expertise in rolling stock engineering and virtual certification to Shift2Rail projects.
Large industrial companytransportUKNo active H2020 projects
H2020 projects
5
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
€116K
Unique partners
60
What they do
Their core work
Alstom Engineering and Services (formerly part of Bombardier Transportation, based in Derby, UK) is a major rolling stock engineering company specializing in rail vehicle design, testing, and certification. Within H2020, they contributed third-party expertise and technical participation in Shift2Rail projects focused on next-generation train systems, simulation-based certification, and transport chain integration. Their work spans from physical rolling stock performance improvements to digital simulation tools for railway capacity planning and virtual vehicle authorization.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Rolling stock engineering and performanceprimary
3 projects
ROLL2RAIL targeted dependable rolling stock, PIVOT focused on vehicle performance improvement, and CONNECTA covered TCMS and braking systems.
Strategic railway capacity planningsecondary
1 project
PLASA-2 addressed smart planning and the interplay between microscopic and macroscopic simulation for capacity planning.
Intermodal transport integrationsecondary
1 project
IMPACT-1 worked on indicator monitoring for seamlessly integrated cross-modal transport chains.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Rolling stock hardware and systems
Recent focus
Virtual certification and simulation
Early projects (2015-2017) focused on physical rolling stock — dependable trains, braking systems, and cross-modal transport monitoring. By 2017-2020, the focus shifted clearly toward digital methods: virtual certification, simulation-based authorization processes, and smart capacity planning tools. This mirrors the broader rail industry trend from hardware-centric R&D toward digital twins and simulation-driven approval processes.
Moving toward simulation-based vehicle certification and digital planning tools — a valuable partner for anyone working on reducing physical testing costs in rail.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: third_party_expertReach: European11 countries collaborated
Alstom participated exclusively as a third party (3 projects) or minor participant (2 projects), never as coordinator — consistent with a large industrial company contributing domain expertise and testing infrastructure to research-led consortia. With 60 unique partners across 11 countries from just 5 projects, they operated within large Shift2Rail consortia rather than leading small focused teams. This suggests they are best approached as a technical contributor who brings real-world rail engineering knowledge to validate research outcomes.
Despite limited direct project participation, their involvement in large Shift2Rail consortia connected them with 60 unique partners across 11 countries, giving them broad visibility across the European rail research community.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
As a major rolling stock manufacturer participating from the UK, they brought real industrial manufacturing and testing capability to Shift2Rail research consortia — bridging the gap between academic simulation research and actual vehicle certification requirements. Their specific combination of physical vehicle engineering with growing simulation expertise makes them relevant for projects needing industrial validation of digital rail tools. The Derby site has deep heritage in train manufacturing (formerly Bombardier, now Alstom), offering access to production-grade facilities.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- PLASA-2Their largest funded project (€93K), directly addressing the frontier topic of replacing physical rail vehicle tests with virtual certification methods.
- ROLL2RAILFlagship Shift2Rail project on next-generation rolling stock — positioned them within the core European rail innovation ecosystem.
- PIVOTFocused specifically on on-track vehicle performance improvement, connecting simulation work to real operational outcomes.
Cross-sector capabilities
Digital simulation and digital twinsManufacturing process optimizationSafety certification and regulatory complianceSystems engineering and integration
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