Yesterday, Friday, 23rd June, was the 200th anniversary of the day when Robert Stephenson founded the first company in the world specifically for building railway engines.

Robert Stephenson and Company established the world’s first purpose-built locomotive works in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Alstom‘s subsidiary of Nomad Digital has been headquartered in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne for over two decades, and claim to be able to trace its roots back to the world’s first locomotive works.

In 1937, Robert Stephenson and Company merged with Hawthorn Leslie to form Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd., which later became English Electric. In 1968, English Electric merged with GEC, and merged with Alstom in 1989, thereby justifying Alstom’s claim.

As well as being the home of Nomad Digital, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is one of the United Kingdom’s fastest-growing technology clusters. Nomad Digital is a world-leading provider of passenger and fleet management solutions to the transport industry.

Through its use of digitalisation and data, Nomad brings the power of connectivity to railways through functionality such as WiFi, real-time fleet monitoring, fleet reporting, passenger on-board information systems, and entertainment portals.

Nick Crossfield, Managing Director Alstom UK & Ireland, said “Alstom has a rich history in rolling stock design and manufacture, and we’re proud to trace our roots back to the world’s very first locomotive works. We continue to be the UK’s foremost supplier of new trains, and from our headquarters in Derby continue to deliver some of the biggest rail programmes in the country.”

Xavier Champaud, Managing Director at Nomad Digital, added “We’re pleased to mark this important milestone in the history of rolling stock, especially so local to the Nomad Digital headquarters, and look forward to continuing to play our part in the digital development of the railway industry for years to come.”