Stuttgart, June 23, 2026. 51nodes GmbH, a specialist in digital and decentralized technologies, has developed and integrated a blockchain-based process architecture for Alstom’s Next-Gen Juridical Recorder (nJR) in collaboration with World Mobile Chain (WMC) and Rivalz.ai. A successful field trial has demonstrated that critical operational data can be recorded in a tamper-proof manner. This strengthens digital resilience and trust in autonomous rail transport.
Digital resilience as a system imperative
When trains no longer have a train driver, the problem arises that eyewitnesses are no longer available in the event of incidents on the track. It is precisely this gap that Alstom is addressing with the Next-Gen Juridical Recorder concept, enabling legally usable route data that replaces the train driver as an eyewitness. The transition to autonomous train operation is also being accelerated by staff shortages and increasing traffic volumes and requires a systemic change towards end-to-end digital and resilient railway systems.
The Juridical Recorder acts as a tamper-proof data witness that records operational events directly at the source and notarises them cryptographically. In the study, this utilised a mobile sensor bundle to continuously record video and telemetry data. The data is segmented into small blocks and linked to identities, time stamps and system context to create structured, verifiable event objects.
Safeguarding through decentralised evidence
Alstom integrates blockchain technology as a verifiability layer to guarantee the necessary legal usability of the data. As conventional centralised IT systems are fragile in multi-stakeholder environments, the blockchain guarantees native data integrity. Each event is converted into a unique cryptographic fingerprint (hash) with a timestamp. This ensures data integrity and enables independent verification by auditors. Trust is thus shifted from centralised supervision to decentralised, cryptographic proof. In the explorative study, the World Mobile Chain (WMC) served as a lightweight layer 3 infrastructure for on-device anchoring.
The WMC is a modular Layer 3 blockchain that is optimized for mobile IoT scenarios and enables energy-efficient on-chain writing from resource-constrained devices with low latency. With on-device anchoring, the recorded information is hashed directly on the mobile device and provided with time and location data. This process creates an unalterable fingerprint of the event, which is anchored in the blockchain. This makes it possible to cryptographically verify tamper resistance and the origin of the data at the point of capture.
The data secured in this way is then made available for semantic interpretation and generative analysis by the logic of the Rivalz.ai platform.
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Collaboration across industry boundaries
The Juridical Recorder project was based on close cross-industry collaboration. Alstom provided the concept of the Next-Gen Juridical Recorder and the domain-specific requirements from the rail sector. 51nodes GmbH acted as the integration specialist by designing the blockchain-based process architecture and was responsible for the technical implementation of the overall system (mobile recording, anchoring). For the decentralised infrastructure, the World Mobile Chain provided its mobile-optimised layer 3 blockchain, which enabled the lightweight on-device anchoring of event data. The logic of the Rivalz.ai platform was used for the AI-based semantic interpretation of the video recordings, for example for onboard visual sign recognition and platform occupancy estimation. This collaboration validated the technical feasibility of the use case and confirmed the functionality of all relevant modules.
Conclusion
The prototype of the Juridical Recorder, including a real test track drive, has successfully demonstrated that verifiability, AI integration and uncomplicated deployment are not contradictory goals. The tested subsystem can now create forensically usable video recordings. The JR complements existing systems by closing the trust gaps between capture and processing. It represents a blueprint for trust-native rail systems, as the future of rail is not only autonomous, but trust-based (‘trust-native’).
About Alstom
Alstom is a French-listed rail technology group that manufactures rolling stock and rail systems and operates worldwide. Founded in 1928, Alstom has been the world’s second-largest rail technology manufacturer since its acquisition of Bombardier Transportation in 2021. The group employs approximately 80,000 people worldwide, generated €17.6 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023/24, and has a strong presence in Germany with 14 locations and 9,600 employees.
The Group holds a 60% market share in the vehicle sector in Germany. Its three core business areas include the production of vehicles and components, as well as service and digitalization. Alstom has more than 40 years of experience in operations and maintenance and transports millions of passengers daily on over 25 transit systems worldwide. Its signaling solutions represent the digital mobility of tomorrow.
For more information: www.alstom.com
About World Mobile
World Mobile is democratizing global connectivity through its blockchain-based Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN). Unlike traditional telecom providers, World Mobile operates on a sharing economy model, enabling individuals and communities to run nodes, connect their networks, and earn rewards.
As part of its commitment to decentralization and innovation, World Mobile has developed the World Mobile Chain—a Layer 3 blockchain for decentralized telecommunications and DePIN applications. World Mobile Chain provides a scalable, efficient foundation for practical blockchain solutions and enables companies, developers, and communities to build next-generation infrastructure.
For more information: https://worldmobile.io
About Rivalz.ai
Rivalz.ai is an AI and blockchain technology company and a pioneer in the next generation of secure, decentralized AI solutions. The company provides businesses with scalable no-code/low-code AI tools for business optimization, data security, and process automation, thereby enabling greater transparency, efficiency, and interoperability across industries.
For more information: https://rivalz.ai/