Editing SNCF (section)

==Business scope==
===High-speed rail===
[[File:TGV Duplex Figueres.jpg|right|thumb|A high-speed train [[TGV Duplex]] from the SNCF]]
[[Image:TGV World Speed Record 574 km per hour.jpg|thumb|right|[[V150 (train)|TGV 4402 operation V150]] reaching {{convert|574|km/h|abbr=on}} on 3 April 2007 near [[Le Chemin, France|Le Chemin]]]]
SNCF operates almost all of France's railway traffic, including the [[TGV]] (''Train à Grande Vitesse'', meaning "high-speed train"). In the 1970s, the SNCF began the TGV high-speed train program with the intention of creating the world's fastest railway network. It came to fruition in 1981 with the completion of the first high-speed line [[LGV Sud-Est]] ("Ligne à Grande Vitesse Sud-Est", meaning "southeast high-speed line"), where the first TGV service, from [[Paris]] to [[Lyon]], was inaugurated. In 2017, the national rail network owned by SNCF Réseau had 28,710&nbsp;km (17,839&nbsp;mi) of lines, 58% of which were electrified and 2,640 high-speed lines. Every day, the SNCF runs 15,000 commercial trains and transports more than 5 million passengers and more than 250,000 tonnes of goods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=L'observatoire des transports et de la mobilité |title=Le marché français du transport ferroviaire de voyageurs |url=https://www.autorite-transports.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bilan_ferroviaire_2017_internet.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.autorite-transports.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bilan_ferroviaire_2017_internet.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> TGV lines and TGV technology are now spread across several European countries.

The SNCF's TGV has set many world speed records, the most recent on 3 April 2007, when a new version of the TGV dubbed the [[V150 (train)|V150]] with larger wheels than the usual TGV, was able to cover more ground with each rotation and had a stronger {{convert|18600|kW|hp|adj=on|abbr=off}} engine, and broke the world speed record for conventional railway trains, reaching {{convert|574.8|km/h|abbr=on}}.

The SNCF has a remarkable safety record. After nearly 30 years in operation, SNCF's TGV system has only experienced [[Eckwersheim derailment|one fatal accident]], which occurred during pre-opening testing and not in regular operation.

===United Kingdom===
In 2011 SNCF in partnership with [[Keolis]], unsuccessfully bid for the [[InterCity West Coast]] franchise.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130606094818/http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/intercity-west-coast-franchise/franchisebidders.pdf Shortlisted Bidders for Greater Anglia and Intercity West Coast Rail Franchises]}} Department for Transport 24 March 2011</ref> In April 2017 SNCF took a 30% shareholding in a joint venture with [[Stagecoach Group]] and [[Virgin Group]] to bid for the [[West Coast Partnership]] that will operate services on the [[West Coast Main Line]] from May 2020 and the [[High Speed 2]] line from 2026.<ref>[http://www.stagecoach.com/media/news-releases/2017/2017-04-25.aspx Stagecoach and Virgin to join forces with SNCF for West Coast Partnership Bid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427095924/http://www.stagecoach.com/media/news-releases/2017/2017-04-25.aspx |date=27 April 2017 }} Stagecoach 25 July 2017</ref><ref>[http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/stagecoach-and-sncf-lead-virgin-branded-bid-for-hs2-operations.html Stagecoach and SNCF lead Virgin-branded bid for HS2 operations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425162718/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/stagecoach-and-sncf-lead-virgin-branded-bid-for-hs2-operations.html |date=25 April 2017 }} ''[[Railway Gazette International]]'' 25 July 2017</ref>

In April 2019 Stagecoach were banned from bidding for any franchises including the West Coast Partnership which has meant that Virgin and SNCF have now had to withdraw from the shortlist.

===SNCF operations===
Since the 1990s, SNCF has been selling railway carriages to regional governments, with the creation of the Train Express Régional brand. SNCF also maintains a broad scope of [[international business]] that includes work on freight lines, inter-city lines and commuter lines. SNCF experts provide logistics, design, construction, operations and maintenance services. SNCF operates the international ticketing agency [[SNCF Connect]], formerly oui.sncf/Voyages-sncf.com and [[Rail Europe, Inc.|Rail Europe]], previously [[Raileurope.co.uk|Loco 2]].

SNCF has employees in 120 countries offering extensive overseas and cross border consulting. Those projects include

*[[Israel]]: Assistance and Training. SNCF International provides assistance to [[Israel Railways]] in every area of rail operations including projects to upgrade the network's general safety regulations. Other assistance and training programmes involve Infrastructure and the Traction Division.
*[[Taiwan]]: Operations Training. SNCF supervised the prime contractor responsible for construction of the Taiwan Railways Administration's main high-speed rail line. It also trained rail traffic controllers, drivers, and crew members. On behalf of the Government of Taiwan, SNCF managed the high-speed railway Command Control Centre.
*[[United Kingdom]]: Maintenance. In 2007–2008, SNCF-International consultants audited the maintenance practices applied to the track, signalling and overhead electric power line on British high-speed rail lines connecting London to the [[Channel Tunnel]]. In addition, it conducted an audit of the maintainer's performance from the service quality and cost control standpoint, made recommendations for improvements, and proposed a three-year Business Plan.
*[[South Korea]]: HSR Electrification Design. SNCF advised Korean Railroads on the electrification of tracks between Daegu and Busan and on linking existing conventional tracks to the new high-speed line. SNCF also assisted in selecting and inspecting high-speed [[rolling stock]] and trained 400 senior manager, engineers, and executives in a broad range of skills, including signalling, catenaries, track, rolling stock maintenance, HSR operation, safety management, marketing, and passenger information systems. Until the end of 2009, SNCF assisted Korea in maintaining its high-speed.
*[[Spain]]: Signalling System. SNCF partnered with ADIF (Spanish railway infrastructure provider) in the study, supply, installation, and maintenance of the standard EU railway signaling system along the Madrid-Lleida high-speed line. On behalf of the Spanish Government, SNCF designed and led maintenance operations on this line over a two-year period.
*[[France]]: Lead Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Maintainer – The SNCF maintains {{convert|32,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} of track, 26,500 main sets of points and crossings, 2,300 signal boxes, 80,000 track circuits, over 1 million relays, etc. It also maintains 3,900 locomotives and 500 high-speed trains. Each of SNCF's TGV trains travels more than {{convert|39,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} a month – enough to circle the globe. Each year SNCF's Human Resources Department provides over 1.2 million hours of training to its over 25,000 employees.
*[[Morocco]]: Design, construction and operations for the [[Al Boraq]] bullet train service between [[Tangier]] and [[Casablanca]]
{{clear left}}