Alstom has opened a new Engineering and Innovation centre in Maia, Porto district. The company moves forward in its commitment to increase its footprint in Portugal and provide better service to its customers and projects in the country.
Alstom’s new site in Maia will have as its main mission to develop cutting-edge solutions in the area of
digital mobility and signalling, both for the Portuguese market and for Alstom’s international projects
around the world. With a total size of approximately 460 m2 and an initial team of 25 engineers and
technicians, the centre has an ambitious growth plan for the upcoming years.
Additionally, Alstom will collaborate with FEUP, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto,
in the preparation of a Master Programme focusing on smart and sustainable mobility. The objective is
promoting a new generation of talented graduates able to conceive and develop state-of-the-art
technologies, products and systems for a sustainable future.
The new site also includes a warehouse with capacity for storage and repair of components for the
current projects and clients that Alstom is working with, in Portugal.
During the inauguration, David Torres, Managing Director of Alstom Portugal, stated that “Alstom,
based on the experience of its extensive portfolio, aims to boost the railway sector in Portugal, bringing
its expertise in the development of sustainable mobility solutions. The company is strongly committed
to the Portuguese market, actively contributing to the development of the industry and the local
economy. This commitment is demonstrated by the inauguration of the new Engineering and
Innovation centre in Maia, which will have advanced technical and logistical competences, also
contributing to the creation of more quality jobs in Portugal”.
Paulo Duarte, executive director of Portuguese Railway Platform (PFP) highlighted “the
importance of creating a railway technical centre in Portugal, which provides a prompt and high-quality
response to the needs and requests of railway operators in our market, contributing to a more
sustainable and social responsible mobility.”
Alstom has had a presence in Portugal for over 30 years. Two thirds of trains in operation on the country’s network are manufactured by Alstom or use uts technology. In the digital sphere, more than 1,500km of the Portuguese rail network and more than 500 on-board units are managed by Alstom’s Convel ATP system, a signalling solution developed specifically for the Portuguese market.
Image credit: Alstom
