Alstom, IGE+XAO and Safran are strengthening their collaboration by creating a Centre of Excellence in Toulouse for the engineering of onboard railway electrical systems. Located on the site of the Safran Electrical & Power, this international Centre of Excellence will be able to accommodate up to 100 engineers. Using the packages of the software publisher IGE+XAO and relying on its technical support, the Centre of Excellence will develop railway electrical systems, from design to standardisation and operational maintenance of the electrical products of Alstom's transport solutions. Its activities will also focus on innovation.

As part of the agreement signed with Alstom, IGE+XAO, is providing its expertise in terms of its software and associated services. Partners since 2011, Alstom and IGE+XAO have achieved a significant milestone with the signature of a technical and commercial contract over a 5-year period. IGE+XAO will provide its software suites dedicated to the lifecycle management of electrical systems, as well as a service offer ranging from software validation to user assistance, including training and management of the hardware platform.

Similarly, Alstom and Safran are signing an agreement focusing on electrical product design. The agreement follows a partnership between the two groups announced in 2017. This new stage in the collaboration between Alstom and Safran responds to an increasing need to share best practices between the worlds of aeronautics and rail.

Rail mobility solutions are facing a transformation of user habits and services. They must now be modular to facilitate operation, adaptable to meet local or individual characteristics, and scalable to incorporate new technologies (Wi-Fi, passenger comfort, management of passenger flows, increased safety of goods and people, new connected products, predictive maintenance). The Centre of Excellence will thus make it possible to study the needs of passengers and operators in a pre-emptive way, while benefiting from a collaborative environment, the "Trinity LAB", conducive to reflection on requirements in the field of mobility.