Alstom strengthens its Vado Ligure site
posted on 9th Nov 2026 09:51
On 9 November 2026, Alstom inaugurated a new facility at its Vado Ligure site dedicated to the maintenance of regional trains, high-speed trains and locomotives. The facility was developed with the support of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. The expansion also includes the modernised control room to better support customers operating TRAXX locomotive fleets across European networks.
The inauguration marks another milestone in the (ex-Bombardier Transportation) site's revitalisation and diversification journey since it became part of Alstom in 2021, further strengthening its expertise in maintenance and digital services, and consolidating Vado Ligure's role as a key Alstom hub at European level.
Covering an area of more than 2,570 m² and extending over 130 m in length, the new facility is dedicated to Level 2 maintenance of regional trains, high-speed trains and locomotives. Integrated with the site's existing railway and production infrastructure, the facility is equipped with two tracks, allowing maintenance activities to be carried out simultaneously at different levels of the vehicles.
The facility carries out inspections, checks, functional tests and scheduled maintenance, as well as overhaul and retrofit work to modernise vehicles. This include the removal and refitting of bogies as part of the general overhauls carried out at Alstom's Savigliano site, as well as work on components such as braking and air-conditioning systems.
With the modernisation of the control room, its scope has expanded to cover fleets operating beyond Italian borders and across European railway networks, further strengthening the international role of the Vado Ligure site. The control room provides centralised expertise in fleet monitoring, diagnostics and technical support for TRAXX locomotives, combining advanced digital technologies with 24/7 assistance to identify and resolve issues early, minimise service disruption and get locomotives back into service quickly.
The control room brings together three complementary areas of expertise: data management and diagnostics, fleet monitoring, and real-time support for drivers. Through HealthHub, Alstom's digital solution for condition-based and predictive maintenance, specialists analyse locomotive diagnostic events to identify potential failures in advance, support troubleshooting and define corrective actions in collaboration with maintenance teams.
These activities are supported by a help desk, which provides train drivers with real-time technical assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, helping to troubleshoot, reduce service recovery times and return locomotives back into operation as quickly as possible. With more than 2,500 TRAXXes currently in service across Europe, the Vado Ligure control room already supports 360 locomotives, with the aim of progressively increasing this number to approximately 600.
A journey of growth and diversification
The development of Vado Ligure is part of Alstom's industrial plan for Italy, which includes investments of more than 63 million EUR over the 2024 - 2026 period. Between 2021 and 2026, the Group invested approximately 20 million EUR in the Ligurian site, which currently employs around 300 professionals.
The production of TRAXX Universal locomotives remains the site's main activity, with more than 250 ones sold in Italy. Thanks to these investments, the site is expanding its expertise, complementing manufacturing activities with maintenance and major overhaul services, complex work on high-speed trains, and the outfitting of the Power Car for Italy's first hydrogen-powered train. Cooperation with Alstom's other Italian sites, particularly Savigliano, promotes the sharing of expertise and processes throughout the entire vehicle lifecycle.
Founded in 1906, the Vado Ligure site is one of the historic centres of Italy’s railway industry, having produced locomotives that have shaped the history of rail transport in the country. From the E.550, Italy’s first three-phase electric locomotive, to the E.636, E.444, E.633, E.652 and E.464 models, the site has produced more than 2,000 locomotives over more than a century of operations.
The site is also home to “Binari d’innovazione” (Tracks of Innovation), a permanent exhibition inaugurated as part of the celebrations marking the site's 120th anniversary. The exhibition is dedicated to the history of the Vado Ligure site, railway engineering and the contribution of the people who have accompanied and shaped its development over the years.
