Alstom’s India engineers ensure trains globally run on time

Situated in a tech park like any of the countless others dotted around India’s Silicon Valley is an office housing a few thousand engineers of the French company Alstom. What is remarkable is that these engineers, along with a few hundred counterparts in Gurgaon and Hyderabad, totalling 4,000, are responsible for the efficient functioning of around 80 railway transit systems (like urban metro lines and mainline trains) around the world. From the United States and Europe to Israel and Australia, Alstom’s India engineers are deeply involved in making sure the brains of the rail system – called signalling solutions – are designed and run properly.

Thameem Kamaldeen, MD for signalling and infrastructure at Alstom India, says the company started its India operations ten years ago with just over 100 engineers. “We were more into verification and validation kind of activities. Then we made a conscious effort to start delivering for the world from India.”

That journey began with the Kochi metro project (which started operations in 2017), which Thameem says was Alstom’s first CBTC signalling system project in India.
“We call it CBTC – communication based train control – because the train is always communicating, via equipment on the track and around the track, with the central control.”

The team then started participating in international projects, and in no time, they were even leading them. “We are now doing turnkey design from India. Starting right from Sydney, all the way to Canada, we are leading projects from here.” In the last few months, the team has even designed and helped launch one of the first projects with a cybersecure CBTC. “This was for a metro project in Tel Aviv, Israel,” says Thameem.

Software runs trains
Signalling solutions for rail systems are composed of several subsystems. Designing and testing each of these systems, Thameem says, involves a lot of software work. “We don’t have too much metal here. It’s pretty much software driven. We use algorithms to determine at what speed the train should run, how to achieve optimal energy savings, etc. All of these are determined by model-based algorithms.” One of the most basic subsystems the team works on is called interlocking. “It is the first level of safety. It basically ensures that two trains don’t come too close to each other. This is the least level of safety that can be provided in a signalling system. Interlocking is what is predominantly present in Indian Railways today.”

Another subsystem, called automatic train control, provides even more safety features.

“This system has two portions. The first is automatic train protection, which makes sure two trains don’t catch up with each other. The second is automatic train operations, which determines where the train can accelerate and where it can decelerate, and it can even take control from the driver if rules are disobeyed.”
Thameem says they follow two industries to stay ahead of the competition. “We follow the airline industry to understand safety levels, and we follow the automobile industry to understand innovation and how to provide a great experience.”

India, he says, stands out when it comes to innovating for new age technological solutions. “When it comes to innovating mechanical elements, Europe has a bit of an edge because they’ve been doing it for a longer period of time. But when we are moving our products and our technologies to new-age technologies, India is seen as a good hub. Today, around 40% of Alstom’s global R&D is being done from India.”

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