10 April 2019
Assystem has been selected to partner SCNF Réseau with its large-scale project to modernise the rail network for Paris and its suburbs.
The plan for upgrading and renewing the train fleet for Paris and its suburbs, launched in 2016 by the Greater Paris region, is continuing and moving up a gear in 2019. By 2024, more than 300 trains serving Paris and its suburbs will be upgraded and 400 new trains brought into service. Three different train models are envisaged for the new rolling stock. Two of them – the single-deck Francilien and the Regio2N double-deck – are already in service on several lines. The third model – which is still in the development phase and for the moment is called "the new-generation RER" – will serve the E and D lines of the RER rail link.
Ensuring a smooth transition to greater passenger comfort
Working in partnership with SNCF Réseau, which is in charge of managing the project and its technical co-ordination, Assystem will take part in drawing up the Rolling Stock Blueprint that sets out how the new, longer, more spacious and more comfortable trains will be integrated into the existing infrastructure.
Assystem has been tasked with helping SNCF Réseau oversee the project’s technical studies and the performance of the works needed to bring the new trains into service. In particular this involves work on:
- All of the network's stations: platform length and width, passenger flows.
- All of the network's lines: adapting the lines to the size and speed of the new trains, increasing the electricity supply.
- Related services: maintenance sites and sidings.
"After carrying out several audit engagements in French mainline stations, this project constitutes a new major phase in our partnership with SNCF. It’s the first time we’ve worked together on such a broad-scope assignment and marks the start of a full-scale partnership between SNCF Réseau and Assystem, working towards successfully completing one of SNCF Réseau's priority projects. For Assystem, this partnership is another tangible result of the strategy we’ve been implementing over the past three years to ramp up our presence in the rail transport sector", said Thomas Branche, SVP Energy Transition & Infrastructures at Assystem.
Assystem – a key player in the rail transport sector
Assystem was able to secure this partnership thanks to the Group's long-standing expertise in providing Project Management Consultancy (PMO) services to large industrial corporations, its expertise in complex projects and its ability to work as part of an integrated platform.
A team of around 25 Assystem people will be working on the project until its completion.