BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION SIGNAL GERMANY GMBH

Their core work

Bombardier Transportation Signal Germany is the Braunschweig-based signaling division of the former Bombardier Transportation group (acquired by Alstom in 2021), specializing in railway signaling systems, train control, and positioning technologies. They develop ERTMS/ETCS-compliant signaling solutions and GNSS-based train positioning systems for European rail networks. In recent years, their work has expanded into autonomous train operation technologies, including environment perception, remote driving, and automated diagnostics. They contribute deep domain expertise in rail safety and automation to large European research consortia as a third-party specialist.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2018) centered on core railway signaling infrastructure — ERTMS/ETCS standards, GNSS-based train positioning, and safety-critical signaling systems. From 2019 onward, they shifted toward autonomous train operations (ATO, ADAS, remote driving, automated diagnostics) and broader rail system concerns like noise reduction and energy efficiency. This trajectory mirrors the European rail industry's move from digitizing existing signaling to full train autonomy.

Moving from traditional signaling hardware toward software-driven autonomous rail systems — expect future work in AI-based perception, remote operation, and predictive maintenance for trains.

How they like to work

They participate exclusively as a third party, meaning they are brought in by consortium members for specific signaling and train control expertise rather than leading or formally partnering. Despite this role, they have worked with 96 unique partners across 16 countries, indicating they are a widely trusted specialist that many consortia want access to. This third-party pattern is typical of large corporate R&D units contributing proprietary knowledge to Shift2Rail and similar EU rail research programs.

Connected to 96 unique consortium partners across 16 countries, giving them a broad European rail research network despite their consistent third-party role. Their reach spans the major EU rail research ecosystem including Shift2Rail programme participants.

What sets them apart

As a major industrial signaling manufacturer participating as a third party, they bring production-grade engineering knowledge that academic partners typically lack — they know what it takes to certify and deploy signaling systems at scale. Their combination of deep ERTMS/ETCS expertise with emerging autonomous train capabilities makes them a rare partner who bridges legacy rail infrastructure and next-generation autonomy. For consortium builders, they offer credibility with railway operators and regulators that is difficult to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TAURO
  Represents their strategic move into autonomous rail operation, covering the full autonomy stack from perception to remote driving and automated diagnostics.
• STARS
  Directly targeted the integration of satellite navigation (GNSS) into European railway signaling — a key enabler for reducing trackside infrastructure costs across the EU rail network.