Hitachi Rail is strengthening its involvement in the railway ecosystem in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, with a commitment to support Sup Ferro, the Ferrocampus training center dedicated to training, innovation and experimentation in the railway sector.
The announcement was made on the occasion of the inauguration of Sup Ferro, presented as the first national railway engineering school in France. Through this partnership, Hitachi Rail will provide expertise, resources and equipment to develop skills in areas considered strategic for the future of rail transport.
The company will contribute to training activities in several technical areas, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, predictive maintenance and systems engineering. The partnership also includes hosting trainees, providing equipment and the participation of Hitachi Rail teams in events organized within Ferrocampus.
Linking training, industry and innovation
Sup Ferro is part of Ferrocampus, a French center dedicated to developing skills and testing solutions for the railway sector. The initiative aims to bring the training environment closer to the industry and provide students and professionals with access to realistic work cases, aligned with the needs of operators and suppliers in the field.
Hitachi Rail says that its support for Sup Ferro represents a new stage in the company’s commitment to developing local skills and the digital transformation of the railway sector in France.
“We are deepening our commitment to Ferrocampus by participating in the future partnership with Sup Ferro. By sharing our technologies and expertise, we will contribute to training the talents that will shape the railways of tomorrow. Developing local skills will be essential to achieving our decarbonisation objectives and supporting sustainable, reliable and connected mobility in France and Europe,” said Christophe Jeanney, CEO of Hitachi Rail in France.
Projects for digitalisation and railway safety
Hitachi Rail has been involved since 2020 in several projects developed around Ferrocampus. These include STARC, a project for real-time monitoring of road signals and barriers, as well as obstacle detection at level crossings. A STARC module was installed in April at the Grand Port Maritime of La Rochelle.
The company is also participating in the TELLi project, an innovative low-carbon light rail transport system. In this case, Hitachi Rail collects and processes data from cameras, radars, lidar sensors and satellite positioning systems. The data is made available to the academic and industrial community through Ferrocampus.
Another project is NS2F, a new low-cost railway signalling system, supported by the French state and ADEME under the France Relance 2030 programme. The project aims to revitalise local lines through adapted technical and economic solutions.
Demonstration for the NS2F solution
Ferrocampus is also preparing a major demonstration for the NS2F project. According to Jacky Emon, President of Ferrocampus, the next key moment is scheduled for June 16, when the first world demonstration of the NS2F “frugal” signaling solution is expected to take place.
“I am delighted to bring together the French railway ecosystem and strengthen the collaboration with Hitachi Rail around strategic innovations, in particular through skills transfer and training. Our next stage will be on June 16, with the first world demonstration of our frugal signaling solution, NS2F,” said Jacky Emon.
Through the projects carried out, Hitachi Rail claims to aim to offer customers more reliable and simpler solutions, while contributing to increasing the safety and resilience of the railway network.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine is counting on railway skills
The regional authorities see Sup Ferro as a tool to strengthen the railway sector in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and to support sustainable daily mobility, especially on local and regional lines.
“With Sup Ferro, we are taking a decisive step towards building a high-quality railway sector in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, dedicated to sustainable daily mobility. By bringing together training, innovation and industry, we are fostering the emergence of more efficient, agile and cost-effective solutions, particularly for local and regional lines. It is an essential lever for ensuring the future of these lines and for making rail transport more accessible, more efficient and economically viable for all our territories”, declared Alain Rousset, President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council.
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