A network built with our partners

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As the operator of the French rail network, our role is to ensure the smooth running of the rail system as a whole, in coordination with all its players and all stakeholders. Our objective? To develop the mobility offer. To achieve this, we work closely with our institutional and industrial partners.

Together with our stakeholders, we are designing the network of tomorrow

Our stakeholders include the mobility organising authorities, who commission and finance many of the projects we undertake, as well as our customers, who, by expressing their needs, encourage us to upgrade the network. 

Mobility organising authorities

The mobility organising authorities - i.e. the State, the Regions, the metropolises and the urban communities - are responsible for organising mobility, all modes of transport combined, within their areas. They are the main commissioners of upgrades carried out on the rail network. The mobility organising authorities finance the modernisation and development projects that we carry out. Together, we're shaping the railway landscape of tomorrow!  

The mobility organising authorities ask us to develop transport solutions for passengers and goods. Our first task is to help them refine their needs, so as to find the most appropriate response. We pursue common objectives: to develop metropolitan regional express services to make everyday transport easier, double the modal share of rail freight by 2030, improve comprehensive coverage lines of the region... Then, the mobility organising authorities take part in our working groups on the various mobility projects and the scheduling of works. We see them as customers in their own right.  

The competencies of mobility organising authorities

Our offerServing the regions
Train de marchandises longeant la mer

The national rail network’s customers

Our customers - railway undertakings dedicated to passenger and goods transport, shippers, manufacturers, etc. - play a key role in upgrading the network and developing the rail transport offer. With them, we identify opportunities to improve the service and the regularity of services. Their contributions sometimes lead us to develop new infrastructure, to design new organisations... We provide them with tailor-made solutions that meet their needs and those of their customers as closely as possible. 

Network customers

Together with our industrial partners, we are building the network

Since the very beginnings of the railways, we have relied on their resources, their expertise... and their innovative strength. 

Why call on them?

Nearly 30,000 agents - two-thirds of our workforce - are dedicated to maintaining, modernising and developing the national rail network. But it is huge and complex, and our demands in terms of safety and robustness are high. Our century-old know-how and all the resources of SNCF Réseau are not enough to carry out all the works needed on Europe's second largest rail network. That's why, from the very beginnings of the railway, we have worked in partnership with industrial companies that possess and master techniques and equipment that complement our own. We draw on their resources, expertise, equipment and innovative strength.  

We have a key position at the heart of this French industrial sector, and this must be a lever for building the railway of tomorrow.

Author : Matthieu Chabanel, Chief Executive Officer of SNCF Réseau

Our industrial partners help us to improve our performance

Our industrial partners open us up to new ways of doing things, different methods and techniques. In this sense, they are an essential lever for improving industrial and economic performance. They also enable us to handle a considerable volume of production and regeneration. For us, this is essential if we are to effectively manage increases in loads. Finally, this partnership approach is a source of mutual enrichment: we share our expertise and our resources, always in the service of the network's customers and the interests of the rail sector!  

SNCF Réseau at the heart of the French rail industry

By working closely with numerous industrial partners, we contribute to the dynamism of the national economy. This is borne out by our purchases of services from industry players, which amount to more than €6 billion a year. We play a decisive and assumed role in the vitality of the French economy, which accounts for 97% of our purchases. In 2023, we mobilised more than 10,000 French companies, 59% of which are SMEs. 

Our procurement policy

We're counting on the collective to rise to the challenges

Our relationship with all the players in the rail industry is marked by a shared ambition: to develop responsible and sustainable mobility. We want to offer millions of people a reliable, high-performance, low-carbon mode of transport. That's why we've chosen to team up with all the players in the rail industry to meet this challenge. 

The challenges of tomorrow's network

If we want to have a resilient rail infrastructure with capacity, we need to push forward this dialogue and pool our energies. Our rail industry must work together to ensure the safety and quality of future production. 

Author : Matthieu Chabanel, Chief Executive Officer of SNCF Réseau