Development Prospects of the Railway Sector: The CEO of SNCF Meets with ESTACA Student
100 billion euros for rail by 2040 announced by the French government, 300 engineers to be recruited in 2023 for the SNCF alone: the need for engineers in the rail sector is growing. The goal: to modernize and develop the industry in the context of the ecological transition. Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of SNCF, came to meet ESTACA students and discuss the challenges of tomorrow.
On Wednesday March 29, he held a conference at ESTACA Paris-Saclay, on the theme: “The future of the rail industry in a context of ecological transition”. He then spoke to our students about the role of the engineer and the challenges of modernizing and transforming the industry. He was invited by Guided Ways, ESTACA’s guided transport association, to showcase their driving simulator projects.
French Rail Expertise Goes Global
Jean-Pierre Farandou, himself an engineer with hands-on experience, has spent most of his career with the SNCF. After holding positions as production engineer, marketing engineer and then project manager, he moved on to management positions and was finally appointed CEO of SNCF in autumn 2019.
He explained that the SNCF is a major player in France, but it is less well known that 40% of its sales are generated internationally. This makes it the world’s 2nd largest rail transport company, and first in Europe. In an open market, the company offers a competitive product range, particularly in passenger transport, thanks to its double-decker TGV trains, for example.
As a result, French expertise in rail and guided transport is highly prized internationally. Choosing the rail option also means opening up great career prospects abroad. (See the example of Axel Gaspar, a 2018 graduate who went to Cairo to work on the metro extension [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-PP4Xc3IeU&list=PLT58o3psa2_G5uxcrHYmuds_pCDutU1jp&index=12 ])
Rail, the best mode of transport to meet energy transition challenges
Jean Pierre Farandou reiterated that rail is the sector that best reconciles transport with the environment. A train journey, for example, is 50 times less polluting than a car journey!
The investments announced by the French Prime Minister and the opportunities offered opening up to competition will create a new dynamic in the rail industry. There is a considerable need for innovation and development: infrastructure renewal, network modernization, development of freight services (alternative to road freight), autonomous trains, automation, innovation in energy and motorization (end of diesel trains scheduled for 2050) etc.
To meet all these challenges, SNCF needs engineers to develop innovative solutions. Jean-Pierre Farandou strongly encouraged students to go into the railway sector, and particularly emphasized the role of women engineers in all companies in the sector.
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