Operations and maintenance: another string to Alstom’s bow

"When we are responsible for designing and building a system as well as carrying out, say, 30 years of operations and maintenance, we can design the system in a way where we give our customers the best value from the assets, for example, in terms of energy-saving or passenger experience. With Alstom sitting on both sides of the fence, we can balance the capital expenditure and operational expenditure to get the best value over the asset's life."

Of course, the market for Alstom to offer operations and maintenance is broader than newly delivered 'greenfield' systems, which in many cases is an extension of its design and build projects. In addition, an asset owner or authority may decide to contract out the existing 'brownfield' operation that has already been in service for many years.

"As well as greenfield opportunities, we also look at brownfield - focusing mainly where we already have a presence or products that we can support. This is not a limiting factor, Alstom has been successful in brownfield takeovers of non-Alstom assets. This is down to mobilising the right people at the right time and extending our robust core processes to include operations and maintenance," adds Jack.