We sit down with Aryldo G. Russo Jr of GESTE Engineering, to talk about the project, their role in CHORUS, and the impact they hope the project will have on European Citizens.
1. Can you introduce your organisation?
Can you tell us about your organisation, its mission, and the expertise it brings to CHORUS?
GESTE Engineering is a Swiss engineering and consulting company founded in 1999, with offices in Switzerland, France and Belgium. We specialise in mobility and safety across rail, urban and road transport, combining systems engineering, automation, RAMS, risk analysis, verification and validation. This multidisciplinary, life-cycle approach makes GESTE a natural fit for CHORUS, where safe coordination between connected, automated and conventional mobility must work in real operational environments.
2. Why did your organisation join CHORUS?
What motivated GESTE to join the consortium, and what is its role within the project?
We joined CHORUS because its focus on orchestrating mixed traffic reflects a challenge we address daily: translating innovative mobility concepts into safe, reliable and deployable transport systems. GESTE brings a systems-engineering and safety perspective to the consortium, contributing to the definition and assessment of requirements, interfaces, risks and validation evidence. We also help connect technical solutions with operational constraints, standards and the needs of authorities, operators and users.
3. Which CHORUS outcome are you most excited about?
Is there a particular tool, pilot, methodology, or result that you’re especially looking forward to, and why?
We are particularly excited about the practical validation methodology around the CHORUS orchestration framework. Bringing together common requirements, operational scenarios, safety and performance indicators, and evidence from seven demonstration sites can create a reusable basis for future deployments. For GESTE, this is valuable because it links innovation with systems engineering, verification and safety assessment, helping cities and operators move from promising concepts to robust, demonstrable and scalable mobility services.
4. What impact do you hope CHORUS will have on citizens?
Which aspects of the project do you think will make the biggest difference in people’s everyday lives?
We hope CHORUS will make everyday journeys safer, smoother and more inclusive. Better coordination between automated vehicles, public transport, traffic management, logistics and other road users can reduce conflicts, delays and unnecessary emissions, while improving real-time information and service reliability. The strongest citizen benefit will come from solutions designed around actual needs, including those of pedestrians, cyclists, people with reduced mobility and others who may be especially vulnerable in mixed traffic.
5. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
What should readers expect about CHORUS?
GESTE was created from an innovation project and has kept that practical research culture ever since. Alongside CHORUS, we continue to work on advanced rail and automated-mobility initiatives in Europe, bringing together innovation, engineering discipline and safety assurance. Our message is simple: automation becomes useful only when it is trustworthy, integrated into the wider transport system and designed for people. CHORUS offers the collaboration and real-world evidence needed to achieve that.
