ALSTOM FERROVIARIA SPA

Their core work

Alstom Ferroviaria is the Italian arm of Alstom, one of Europe's largest rail transport manufacturers, based in Savigliano. They specialize in advanced train signalling and automation systems, contributing as an industry third party to the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking's X2Rail programme. Their work covers automatic train operation (ATO), moving block signalling, cybersecurity for rail, and on-board train integrity — the core technologies needed to modernize Europe's rail control infrastructure. They also have experience in industrial simulation and modelling through their participation in the Factories of the Future initiative.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2018) focused on foundational signalling research: IP-based communication, ETCS/CBTC standards, and initial automatic train operation concepts within X2Rail-1, alongside industrial simulation in Fortissimo 2. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward system integration, validation, and hardening — with X2Rail-4 and X2Rail-5 emphasizing demonstrators, prototypes, cybersecurity, formal methods, and zero on-site testing. This progression from R&D exploration to deployment-ready validation is characteristic of a large industrial player preparing to bring Shift2Rail results into real rail networks.

Moving firmly toward deployment-ready rail automation with emphasis on cybersecurity and formal verification — expect them to seek partners for real-world piloting and certification of next-generation signalling systems.

How they like to work

Alstom Ferroviaria operates predominantly as a third-party contributor (3 of 4 projects), which is typical for large rail OEMs that supply domain expertise and testing infrastructure to Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking projects without being the direct grant beneficiary. Despite this indirect role, they are embedded in very large consortia — 89 unique partners across 14 countries — indicating deep integration into Europe's rail innovation ecosystem. They are not a consortium leader in H2020 but rather a heavyweight industrial contributor whose participation lends credibility and ensures results align with real manufacturing and deployment constraints.

Connected to 89 unique partners across 14 countries, almost entirely through the Shift2Rail X2Rail programme. This gives them a broad European network concentrated in the rail signalling and automation community, including major rail operators, signalling companies, and research institutes.

What sets them apart

As Alstom's Italian manufacturing and R&D hub, they bring the perspective of a major train builder directly into collaborative research — ensuring that signalling and automation innovations are designed with real rolling stock integration in mind. Their consistent presence across the full X2Rail series (1, 4, and 5) means they carry deep institutional knowledge of the Shift2Rail programme's evolution. For potential partners, this means access to one of Europe's key rail OEMs with hands-on experience bridging research outputs to industrial deployment.

Highlights from their portfolio

• X2Rail-5
  The culminating Shift2Rail signalling project, tackling the hardest deployment challenges: zero on-site testing, formal methods verification, and integrated technology demonstrators for next-generation rail automation.
• X2Rail-1
  The foundational project that launched Shift2Rail's advanced signalling programme, establishing the research baseline for ATO, moving block, and IP-based communication that all subsequent X2Rail projects built upon.
• Fortissimo 2
  Their only project as direct participant (not third party) and their only non-rail project — applying HPC cloud simulation to manufacturing, showing breadth beyond their core rail domain.