Meeting the needs of the territories

Through its various locations, the Materials division is an ardent and innovative contributor to the local economy, constantly seeking to strengthen its links and contributions. It is at the service of each of them, contributing to their attractiveness and dynamism.

To densely populated areas: with the RER NG line

SNCF Voyageurs puts its engineering skills at the service of regional organizing authorities. This is the case for the RER NG, the new rolling stock at the heart of the Île-de-France transport revolution, financed by Île-de-France Mobilités. Working alongside manufacturer Alstom, our teams are redoubling their efforts to make this the benchmark for Mass Transit trains in terms of service, capacity and traffic absorption. 

RER NG includes a remote diagnostics system that communicates directly with maintenance and engineering, as well as on-board video surveillance for greater safety and security, enhanced comfort and accessibility, more passenger information interfaces, and more.

To bring this new-generation train to life, the equipment engineering department has co-designed three unique tools:

• the 3D room, which projects modeled elements into a digital mock-up. For cables and connectors, for example, it is possible to ensure that bending radii are respected, that interference is managed and that cable protections are properly integrated; 
• the pivot cross-member assembly tool: this is used to reference the parts to be assembled and clamp them during welding, in order to obtain the sub-assembly that meets expectations. It is mounted on an elevating turret to position the parts to be assembled in the desired position for welding; 
• the end box assembly tool 1, which positions the parts that make up the front end of the chassis (stringers, pivot cross-member, etc.). Pneumatic cylinders are used to clamp the parts.

At the heart of SNCF Voyageurs' commitments are "fine regional service lines". It is essential to explore new avenues of rural mobility based on innovation and frugality, in order to offer attractive new solutions tailored to the needs of the regions. At this level, the Equipment Division plays a strategic role in supporting these solutions and making them more attractive. For example, Tech4Mobility - an incubator integrated into the SNCF Group thanks to its innovation & research department - aims to develop the complementarity of rail and road to gain greater flexibility in rural areas, via the new TER, shared shuttles on demand, autonomous vehicles on roadways, and so on. The modules are capable of making rail/road transitions seamlessly for the customer, without stopping. Here are two examples of modules under development:

The Flexy project (rail-road shuttle system) follows the same logic. It aims to link rail and road for rural areas by giving a second life to lines that are no longer in use. The shuttles will run on both rail and road, thanks to dual-function wheels. Switching from one mode to the other, as well as the crossing of two shuttles, will take place on platforms installed at regular intervals along the line. Commercial service is scheduled for 2026

In the same vein, the Draisy very light train project will revitalize short lines of less than 100 km. Conceived as a sur measure to reduce rail system costs while improving performance and frequency of service, this very light train will offer 30 seats and run on special lines or lines occasionally used by freight trains, while enabling passengers to access transfer stations connected to the core network. 

It will run on batteries with a range of 150 km, and will benefit from a rapid recharging system on the platform in certain stations along the line. Commercial service is scheduled for 2027.

Because of their geographical spread, our entities contribute fully to sustaining and creating direct and indirect jobs throughout France. By participating in local development, they actively support the attractiveness of the local economy and help to revitalize it through partnerships and local purchasing (suppliers and subcontractors).

Investment in skills and in the territories of industry program

In partnership with the Nevers agglomeration, the Nevers-Languedoc industrial technicenter has launched Jobs En Live and training courses to meet the site's immediate needs, but also to anticipate the skills it will need in the future. Investing in skills and in the Territoires d'industrie program is our priority. The network of 574 territories is responsible for :

• disseminate digital trends to SNCF teams.
• accelerate digital innovation projects from the field;
• help promote SNCF digital innovation in the regions.

Introduction of 1^er 574 industrial

Located at the heart of the Hellemmes industrial site, this facility embodies the SNCF's industrial digital transformation, and illustrates its determination to anchor itself effectively in the local ecosystem, which is particularly dynamic in the Hauts-de-France region. Generating synergies and meetings with industrialists, start-ups and schools, to be even more innovative and efficient, that's the challenge of this 574 industrial site! By stimulating innovation, it provides a showcase for customer activities and partners, and promotes SNCF know-how in an emblematic railway area and beyond.

The technicentre industriel de Vénissieux, an active partner of the industrial hive  

As part of the Usine du Future strategic program, our membership of the Ruche Industrielle is a concrete illustration of our ambition to participate in this regional innovation initiative. Its objectives are to work with other partners (Renault Trucks, Bosch, Insa, Greater Lyon, etc.) on projects designed to enhance industrial performance, to contribute actively to the promotion of industrial and digital professions, and to promote the productive city of the 3^e millennium within the Lyon metropolitan ecosystem.

Since 2015, SNCF Voyageurs has succeeded in bringing about, in just a few years, the emergence of a mature and competitive sector for dismantling written-off railway equipment, in compliance with regulations. By choosing expert industrialists following a European call for tenders, SNCF Voyageurs has reached its industrial dismantling rate of 1,200 cars a year, or 25 km of equipment put end to end, by 2022, and a total of 250 km of train dismantling in ten years by 2028.

By establishing a sustainable local presence, SNCF Voyageurs :

• supports the region's economic development and attractiveness: creation of an average of 30 direct jobs per site, participation in local development, support for local suppliers, etc. ; 
• master environmental issues: circular economy, energy efficiency, pollution control technology;
• acts socially: accessibility, diversity, know-how transfer ; 
• dialogue with stakeholders, internal and external, contractual and non-contractual.

For SNCF Voyageurs, taking on the role of a local player, rooted in the community and creating value, is both a duty and an opportunity. On the one hand, it enables us to draw on intelligence from outside the company to find innovative solutions (for example, the installation of a dismantling robot at the Chalindrey plant) and, on the other, to improve efficiency and performance.