Alstom announced the creation of a new innovation center for green rail mobility solutions, which will be located at its Americas headquarters in St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec, in Canada.

This was a commitment made by the group at the time of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, completed in January 2021.

The innovation center's main mission will be to develop the future platforms for green hybrid, battery, or hydrogen propulsion technologies specifically tailored to the North American rail freight and passenger market. It will be led by Éric Rondeau, who recently worked as senior strategic advisor to Investissement Québec International and the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation to develop and deploy the Quebec battery industry. 

The center's installation in St-Bruno will ensure synergy through its proximity to the more than 500 Alstom engineers currently working on the site, as well as to dedicated prototyping facilities. It will be equipped with virtual and augmented reality equipment, enabling it to optimize its activities to develop future green propulsion platforms.

Depending on its mandates, the center could create up to approximately 80 jobs within a few years. The center's engineers will work closely with key players in Quebec's research and innovation sector, as well as with industrial partners in the Quebec battery and hydrogen industry. In particular, the center will work with the Hydrogen Research Institute (HRI) of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) on the preconditions for the success of the refuelling and operating ecosystem for hydrogen propulsion. It will also participate in McGill University's Sustainable Growth Initiative, which is aimed at providing companies and governments with innovative solutions to accelerate the green transition in transport.

"Alstom offers the most comprehensive range of green solutions to support its customers' environmental efforts," said Michael Keroullé, president of Alstom Americas. "We will now expand our capacity with products specifically tailored to the geographic, climatic and regulatory realities of the North American market. Quebec's assets and business environment, combined with our design and engineering expertise here in St-Bruno, provide us with a unique environment to innovate and grow."