THALES ESPAÑA GRP S.A.

Their core work

Thales España is the Spanish subsidiary of the Thales Group, a major multinational in transport and defence technology. Within H2020, they contributed specialist expertise in railway signalling, train control systems, and automation — particularly through the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking programme. Their work centres on advanced train operation technologies including ETCS (European Train Control System), CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control), and automatic train operation (ATO), as well as big data applications for transport logistics. They function as a technology provider and systems integrator for Europe's next-generation rail infrastructure.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2016–2017) concentrated on foundational rail signalling R&D — control systems architecture, IP communication protocols, moving block signalling, and cyber security for train networks. By 2019, the focus shifted toward higher-TRL outputs: demonstrators, prototypes, on-board train integrity, and traffic management evolution, alongside a parallel interest in transport digitalization and predictive analytics. This progression from core signalling research to system-level demonstration and data-driven transport reflects a maturing technology pipeline.

Thales España is moving from signalling component research toward integrated, demonstrator-ready automation systems with increasing emphasis on data analytics and smart infrastructure — expect future work in AI-assisted rail operations.

How they like to work

Thales España participates almost exclusively as a third party (2 of 3 projects), contributing specialist technical capabilities to large Shift2Rail consortia rather than leading or formally partnering. Despite only three projects, they have touched 98 unique consortium partners across 18 countries, indicating involvement in very large, pan-European consortia. This is typical of a major industrial player that contributes domain expertise and technology components on behalf of the wider Thales Group.

Through just three projects, Thales España connects to 98 unique partners across 18 countries — a reflection of the massive Shift2Rail consortia. Their network spans the core European rail industry ecosystem including operators, signalling companies, infrastructure managers, and research centres.

What sets them apart

As part of the Thales Group — one of Europe's top three rail signalling manufacturers — their Spanish arm brings direct industrial capability in ETCS, CBTC, and ATO systems to any consortium. They offer something few academic or SME partners can: the ability to move research results into real rail networks at scale. For consortium builders in the rail domain, partnering with Thales España means access to a global signalling leader's local engineering capacity.

Highlights from their portfolio

• X2Rail-1
  Flagship Shift2Rail project covering the full breadth of next-generation signalling — from ATO and moving block to cyber security — in a massive pan-European consortium.
• TT
  Transforming Transport was one of Europe's largest big data in transport projects, applying predictive analytics across multiple mobility domains with a strong focus on CO2 reduction.