Become an SNCF Réseau customer

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What are the prerequisites for accessing the national rail network? Who should I contact to make a request? What steps need to be taken? Here's how to get your project off the ground.

Our mission: to make your transport project a reality

You contact us to develop a transport offer on the national rail network. We support you every step of the way as you access and use the network. All the essential information you need can be found in the Network Statement, and tailored services (studies, data, training, etc.) will be offered to you. 

Integrating your project into our annual service 

Your consolidated project is taken into account when we design the annual service. This theoretical timetable of train movements for all trains throughout the year is a real network score, and sets to music the requests for train paths from all our customers. It's a real work of orchestration: the annual service takes into account winter and summer timetables, passenger train traffic (conventional or high-speed), night trains, mass transit, freight train traffic and, finally, works on the network.  

Within this strictly regulated framework, we endeavour to meet everyone's expectations as fully as possible, in a transparent manner that is consistent with network maintenance requirements and the development of overall use of our lines.  

To order European freight train paths

To book train paths on one of the 11 European freight corridors, visit the Path Coordination System digital platform. This platform coordinates all customers and infrastructure managers, including SNCF Réseau for the French rail network. 

Path Coordination SystemInternational freight

For your freight and passenger service facilities

You are a passenger or goods transportation railway undertaking, a shipper, a combined transport operator, etc. Our railway undertakings service platform (PSEF) gives you access to all our products and services relating to access to goods terminals, sidings, service stations and freight and passenger service facilities.  

Go to the PSEF platform

Managing day-to-day traffic

Once your trains are running on the network, we can help you with your day-to-day operating needs.

  • Supply

    of fuel

  • Stabbling

    on our sidings

  • Station services

    for your customers with SNCF Gares & Connexions

A la carte services

From our wide range of services, we select the ones that best meet your needs. These include offers that are particularly relevant to new customers. 

Our services offer

Your checklist for running your trains on the network

Letter of intent

You must send a joint letter of intent to Étienne Delpy, Commercial Director at SNCF Réseau, and to Caroline Gathrot, Director of Transport Operator Clients at SNCF Gares & Connexions. In this letter, you should express your wish to operate one or more services in the coming years within a given market. In this letter, please specify the origin and destination of your services, the intermediate stops, the frequency, the market segment, the rolling stock used or envisaged, and the expected start date for the services. This letter serves to initiate initial discussions between the applicant, SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions.

Discover the Network Statement

The Network Statement (DRR) is a comprehensive set of regulations governing the national rail network. Written for our customers, it is updated every year. In it you'll find everything you need to know about:  

  • General information: our missions as an infrastructure manager, how to start a business with us 
  • Infrastructure: the technical and functional characteristics of the rail network 
  • Terms and conditions of access to the national rail network: the obligations to be met in order to run your trains 
  • Allocation of capacity: instructions for the allocation of capacity and requests for train paths  
  • Services and pricing: description of minimum services on the main tracks, prices of basic services on the service facilities, help in estimating our service according to your request, additional services, billing methods, incentives in force, etc. 
  • Railway operations: railway operating rules 
  • Service facilities: general information on these facilities operated by SNCF Réseau or third-party operators 
View current documents

Guarantees of fair access to the network

Contact us

When you first contact us, a sales manager will be assigned to you immediately. He/she will help you discover our range of services and direct you at every stage to the most appropriate experts for your transport project. More than a sales contact, he/she is a real expert partner who, with all our teams, brings your project to life. 

Your sales contacts

Find out more