SYSTRA


SYSTRA is an international engineering and consulting group in the mobility sector, whose fields of activity include rail and public transport. In 2019, it employed a staff of about 7,300 people, and is a limited company owned by the RATP, the SNCF and banks.

History

The origins : French engineering

The history of SYSTRA begins in 1957, when the SNCF created SOFRERAIL. Four years later, the RATP also creates its own engineering branch : SOFRETU. SOFRERAIL and SOFRETU merge in 1995, originally under the name SYSTRA-Sofretu-Sofrerail, later shortened to SYSTRA in 1997.
In June 2011, INEXIA and XELIS both join SYSTRA. The merger is finally ratified on 1 July 2012.

International acquisitions and development

Created as an international company, SYSTRA quickly develops a network of branches and subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. In 1995, the acquisition of the MVA group gives SYSTRA a consulting base in Hong-Kong and the MiddleEast. In 1990 the CANARAIL subsidiary is created in Montreal, and in 1994 the US branch opens in New York City under the name of SYSTRA Consulting. In 2006, after 50 years of presence in India, the SYSTRA India subsidiary is created in Delhi, and further developed with the acquisition of the Indian engineering office SAI. In 2015, SYSTRA buys JMP Consultants Ltd a British company that specializes in engineering and transport planning consulting. That very same year, SYSTRA buys Tectran, thus strengthening its Brazilian implantation.
In 2016, SYSTRA acquires 4 new subsidiaries: Dalco Elteknik AB, Scott Lister, SIAS Transport Planners and VETEC.
In 2017, the group strengthens its "bridges and civil engineering structures" department by acquiring the California based company International Bridge Technologies. Its Brazilian subsidiaries Tectran and VETEC merge at the end of that very same year.
In 2018, the historical Canadian branch, CANARAIL, changes its name to SYSTRA Canada.

Innovation

SYSTRA has been a partner of the French national research program Ville10D since 2012. The program consistently promotes the exploitation of urban underground spaces via the design of sustainable metropolises. With about 30 partners, the program hopes to improve knowledge of underground resources and to show there is a realistic alternative to laying out the surface only. This initiative of the French Association for Tunnels and Underground Space is supported by the French Minister for Ecological Transition.
SYSTRA's teams also work towards developing autonomous trains together with the SNCF. The aim is to create a system that perceives its surroundings in a way that imitates the observation powers of train drivers. Since 2015, the group has worked with several partners on European wide research and innovation projects, including IN2RAIL, SHIFT2RAIL and CAPACITY4RAIL. These projects intend to optimize the conception of key elements in the infrastructure, to develop predictive maintenance and to envisage future rail management systems.
Since 2016, the firm has been part of the consultative technological committee of Virgin Hyperloop One, a company developing the high speed transportation technology "Hyperloop". In January 2017, the Californian company asked SYSTRA to assess the safety of the Hyperloop infrastructures in order to obtain the legal validation of the project. The first two tests are successfully conducted that very same year. The group is awarded the BIM prize for "Build Earth Live Hyperloop", in Dubai during the "Hyperloop Station Design Competition", for its Möbius project. The 2-day challenge consisted in using a collaborative BIM platform to conceive a prototype that would bring the 2h30 train ride between Dubai and the Fujairah Emirate to about 10 minutes.
In Singapore, SYSTRA supports the ASV project in partnership with the Institute of Technological Research SystemX, the NTU, Renault, SNCF, and AV Simulation. The project is one of the strategic lines of the CETRAN, centered on the development of a digital simulation platform to test out and certify the safety of autonomous vehicles in urban and suburban environments. For 48 months, autonomous vehicles are tried and tested on a 2ha trial ground that reproduces Singapore's main roads.
In 2012, SYSTRA creates the workshop " La Fabrique " that uses a "makerstorming" fast-track method of innovation invented by the Nod-A agency. The workshop brings together employees and outside speakers in a cross-disciplinary approach in order to reflect upon practical problems and come up with answers. In 2016, " La Fabrique " is awarded the Label 2017 of the L'Observeur du Design.

Organization

The company works together with industrial groups or equipment companies. It acts as a consultant in the public transportation sector, or as a provider of operation services for managing companies. As such, SYSTRA works equally as a subcontractor for private clients and public clients.
SYSTRA segments its activity by expertise but also by sector.

Tram

SYSTRA was involved in the design of over 60% of working tram lines in France. In 1997, SYSTRA partnered with the engineering group TYSIA to design Bordeaux's tram, the first one to go without overhead lines. Brest's and Casablanca's tram lines, which SYSTRA designed were named second best in the world by the British Light Rail Transit Association in 2012. SYSTRA is also responsible for the project management of the Dubai tram, opened in 2014. The group had been active in the capital since 2003 when it was charged with conducting preliminary studies for the underground. In 2018, SYSTRA Canada was asked to engineer Quebec city's tram.

Metro

SYSTRA was involved in one in two underground projects across the world, whether as a designer or an engineer, to conduct studies or to assist the project management. The company has contributed to the following notable projects :
SYSTRA is involved in defining, designing and integrating cable transport projects in urban settings. The company has for instance been chosen to design, implement and maintain the Orleans cable car, and in 2018 won the contract for Marseille's cable car project. SYSTRA is also designed Toulouse.'s cable car, the second urban cable car project in France after that of Brest, and the second longest.

Bridges

In 2014, SYSTRA is asked to conduct studies for the Chacao bridge, meant to link the Chilean island of Chiloe to the continent. It is the biggest suspension bridge project in South America. Located near a seismic fault, the project is a technological challenge. The construction was approved in February 2019.
On 1 May 2019, SYSTRA inaugurated the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Saba bridge in Kuwait.
In 2017, SYSTRA acquired International Bridge Technologies, a prominent bridge engineering company. On that occasion, the group announced that it was launching a worldwide expert network on the subject.
In 2018, SYSTRA was selected by the city of Kingston, Canada to design and build a 1.2 km bridge over the Cataraqui river. Construction is meant to start in 2019.

Underground structures

SYSTRA is involved in several tunnels and underground works. Most notably, SYSTRA is in charge of a section of the Lyon-Turin Euralpin Tunnel, one of the biggest railway projects in Europe.

Results and economic context

In 2018, the specialized review Engineering News-Record ranked SYSTRA 5th among the international engineering companies specialized in "Mass Transit and Rail". It was also ranked 8th for bridges and 9th for transports, based on the 2017 turnover.
The group relies on the historical expertise of the SNCF and RATP.
SYSTRA is present on every continent, in 80 countries in total. The company divides its activity between 7 regions, relying on its local subsidiaries. In 2017, SYSTRA was involved in 60% of the world's automated metro line projects. International revenue is growing, from 55% in 2015 to two-thirds in 2018.

Awards