Their lifespan must increase from 20 to 40 years: the 360 ​​suburban trains in the Paris region will be renovated, a contract worth 3 billion euros for the SNCF

This is good news for the millions of users of Francilien trains (in the Paris region) but also and above all for the SNCF. SNCF Voyageurs Matériaux, a subsidiary of the national company, was in fact chosen by Ile-de-France Mobilités for the mid-life modernization of all 360 trainsets circulating on lines E, H, J, K, L, P and U, for an amount of 3 billion euros (which is partly part of the contract concluded between Île-de-France Mobilités and SNCF Voyageurs for the period 2026-2030). These “Z 50” trainsets.

000" manufactured by Bombardier (since bought by Alstom) have been gradually put into service since 2009. They will thus be able to circulate for 40 years instead of 20. "This approach is part of the objective of Île-de-France Mobilités, which is to renovate all of the rolling stock in the Ile-de-France region, but also to maximize investments in rolling stock and extend the lifespan of the trains, while guaranteeing a high level of safety and service for travelers,” we can read in a press release.

“Modernizing trains rather than replacing them when relevant makes good industrial and ecological sense,” underlines Alain Krakovitch, industrial director of SNCF Voyageurs Materiel. Operations which will last until 2043 We will nevertheless have to be patient given the volume of trains to be processed, according to the SNCF, this renovation program "is part of a long-term industrial approach and will mobilize several industrial sites until 2043". Concretely, operations to renovate the interior fittings (seats), equipment (video protection) or even certain systems such as air conditioning are planned, "which will benefit from a new refrigerant with a lesser climatic impact than current gases".

There will also be more screens on board “to broadcast messages on the life of the network as well as live passenger information”. Heavier operations are also planned to extend the life of these trains. These transformations will be carried out in the Industrial Technicentres of SNCF Voyageurs Materiel, particularly in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps.

“A specific industrial system has been set up with eight partner suppliers, making it possible to secure the repair or replacement of parts that have become difficult to supply,” explains the company. “At full capacity, up to 15 trainsets can be processed simultaneously in the various industrial workshops,” assures the group, which promises “a production schedule in order to minimize the immobilization of the trainsets and, consequently, the impact on the transport plan”. "Business unit" for the SNCF Beyond the benefit for users, this 3 billion contract for the SNCF illustrates the rise of this heavy maintenance activity within the group, a very specific activity which requires strong expertise and rare industrial capacities.

Considered as a "business unit", this activity is intended to be offered to all types of railway operators and not just SNCF Voyageurs as part of the opening to competition. SNCF Voyageurs Materiel is leading the OPTER program, which involves the mid-life renovation of nearly 900 TER trainsets from twelve regional transport authorities. However, these lines can today be operated by a competitor of the SNCF such as Transdev in the south-east.

Machine-translated from French