TRY & CERT

What TRY & CERT does

TRY & CERT is a French economic interest grouping (GIE) established in 2019 that combines the Laboratoire ERTMS France (LEF), an accredited testing laboratory (Cofrac No. 1-6906, NF EN ISO/IEC 17025), with CERTIFER, an independent notified body, to deliver a single integrated service for testing, independent assessment and certification of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment. Its core technical platform centres on automated test benches for Subset-076 EVC certification, ESC Subset 110/111/112 testing, and the IRYSS test robot, supplemented by a software-in-the-loop (SIL) capability hosted in cloud infrastructure — the first such offering from an ERTMS-accredited laboratory. Adjacent offerings include ITxPT labelling tests for embedded public-transport IT interoperability (run from a dedicated Le Mans laboratory), the IRYSS test robot, and a 3D-visualisation ERTMS test bench demonstrated at InnoTrans 2024 alongside 'ESC Hybrid Tests' delivered with Eurailtest.

The firm sells quote-based, project-scoped professional services to railway equipment manufacturers and infrastructure managers, with direct enterprise sales as the dominant go-to-market motion supported by LinkedIn, a downloadable brochure and biennial InnoTrans participation. Its named customer base includes Alstom (renewing annually since 2019 and accounting for EVC certification of the Atlas platform), Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar, Hitachi Rail, Siemens, SNCF, Prorail, TheSignallingCompany and Corys. Strategic positioning is reinforced through the ITxPT association, the FP2-R2DATO consortium under Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking (covering ATO, perception and AI-based railway systems), and direct engagement with the European Railway Agency (ERA) on test harmonisation.

TRY & CERT operates from three French sites (Saint-Denis headquarters, Le Mans engineering/ITxPT laboratory, Valenciennes regional office) under the broader Certifer Group umbrella. Headcount is approximately 8 employees; revenue, funding and pricing are not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held under French law with no disclosed institutional investment, and Frédéric BALLEREAU serves as Director (Administrateur).

Name

TRY & CERT

Legal name

TRY&CERT, un groupement d'intérêt économique

Website

https://tryandcert.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TRY & CERT is a French GIE combining the Cofrac-accredited ERTMS France Laboratory (LEF) with CERTIFER's notified-body assessment to provide testing, independent assessment and certification of ETCS equipment for railway manufacturers and operators including Alstom, Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar, Siemens and SNCF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Denis

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Railway Testing and Certification Services: Try&Cert provides specialized testing, expertise, and independent assessment services for railway components and ERTMS signalling systems. Revenue is generated through service contracts for certification testing, EVC testing, ESC testing, ITxPT labelling, and independent assessment of railway equipment. The company operates as a GIE (Groupement d'Intérêt Économique) combining CERTIFER and ERTMS France Laboratory expertise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TRY & CERT provides accredited ERTMS/ETCS testing, certification and independent assessment services for railway equipment manufacturers and infrastructure operators. The company combines a Cofrac-accredited testing laboratory (LEF) with the notified body expertise of CERTIFER, offering reproducible automated test benches, software-in-the-loop testing, and ITxPT labelling tests.

Product overview

TRY & CERT is an economic interest grouping (GIE) formed in 2019 by CERTIFER and the Laboratoire ERTMS France (LEF), combining an accredited testing laboratory with a notified body for independent assessment. The core offering centres on the ERTMS Testing Laboratory (LEF), which provides ETCS system certification testing, independent assessment services, and software-in-the-loop testing for railway components and signalling systems. Supporting services include ITxPT labelling for embedded network interoperability and ESC hybrid tests combining laboratory and online testing approaches. The company serves clients including Alstom, Deutsche Bahn, Eurostar, and TheSignallingCompany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ETCS System Certification Testing Accredited testing of ERTMS/ETCS components and systems for railway equipment manufacturers, supporting interoperability and certification requirements.
• Independent Assessment Services Independent assessment of railway signalling and ERTMS/ETCS implementations, leveraging CERTIFER's notified body expertise, for manufacturers and infrastructure operators.
• ERTMS Testing Laboratory (LEF) Cofrac-accredited testing laboratory services (LEF, accreditation No. 1-6906) providing reproducible, automated ERTMS/ETCS test bench capabilities for clients.
• ITxPT Labelling Services ITxPT labelling test services for public transport and railway software and hardware vendors seeking independent conformance validation.
• Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) Testing Cloud-based software-in-the-loop ERTMS testing service, positioned as a first-of-its-kind offering enabling flexible, automated validation of ERTMS software.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pre-integration of equipment in its environment before the upward phase of the V cycle, reducing overall certification timelines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• European Railway Agency (ERA)coreOthers · 1 January 2025
• EurailtestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024
• CoryscoreOthers · 1 June 2023
• Europe's Rail Joint UndertakingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023
• ITxPT (IT for Public Transport)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021
• AlstomflagshipOthers · 1 January 2019
• CERTIFERflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Laboratoire ERTMS France (LEF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Applus+ IDIADA: Testing and certification group with rail homologation and signalling testing services. Emerging player with meaningful overlap in vehicle certification and homologation workflows.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (IVI): Applied research institute focused on rail vehicle technology, automation, and ERTMS-adjacent R&D. Comparable as an emerging research-to-commercial testing player in next-gen rail signalling.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) incumbent with rail industry services. Comparable as a broad TIC player offering overlapping certification capabilities, though not specialized in ERTMS.
• TÜV SÜD: Global TIC conglomerate providing rail industry testing and certification services (including ERTMS-adjacent). Broad incumbent offering overlapping but less specialized rail signalling capabilities.
• SGS: Global TIC incumbent with rail industry capabilities across rolling stock and infrastructure. Broad incumbent competitor offering overlapping but not ERTMS-specialized services.
• RINA Services: Italian-headquartered certification body with dedicated rail industry services. Broad incumbent offering overlapping testing, inspection, and certification for rail operators and manufacturers.
• DEKRA: Global TIC incumbent with rail industry testing and certification services. Broad incumbent offering overlapping but less specialized rail signalling testing capabilities.

Direct peers

• Certifer: Notified body and co-founder of TRY & CERT, providing independent assessment for railway systems globally. Direct peer because they share clients, operate adjacent testing/assessment scopes, and are structurally intertwined via the GIE arrangement.
• DB Systemtechnik: Deutsche Bahn's testing subsidiary, providing ERTMS/ETCS testing and homologation services across vehicle, infrastructure, and operations. Direct peer operating in the same specialized railway certification niche.
• Eurailtest: French railway testing organization that co-developed the 'ESC Hybrid Tests' initiative with TRY & CERT. Direct peer given overlapping ERTMS/ETCS testing capabilities and a shared French rail ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tryandcert

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TRY & CERT