IRT Jules Verne, R&D Partner to the Rail Industry
The French rail industry has widely recognised industrial expertise, spanning rolling stock, equipment, signalling, infrastructure and maintenance. It comprises nearly 1,300 companies and supports 200,000 direct jobs.
Today, the sector faces several challenges: improving industrial performance to meet growing demand for rolling stock, keeping production lead times under control, and continuing to modernise and digitalise its production systems, while maintaining high standards of quality and safety. These transformations are taking place in a context of international competition and growing industrial sovereignty challenges.
The industrial challenges facing the rail sector echo those that IRT Jules Verne is already addressing in other industries, including the automation of manufacturing and assembly processes, robotics, simulation, non-destructive testing and the development of new materials.
- Improving industrial performance and managing lead times
- Advancing digitalisation and automation across the Rail Industry
- Decarbonising and modernising the Rail System
- Maintaining industrial skills and expertise
Improving industrial performance and managing lead times
The French rail industry must meet growing demand for rolling stock while improving the management of its industrial programmes. In July 2026, the French government and industry stakeholders launched a joint action plan to reduce delivery times for new trains and strengthen the competitiveness of the sector.
These challenges affect the entire value chain, from anticipating demand and organising the supply chain to production, testing and certification. They require, in particular, greater control over industrial processes and more robust production at every stage.
IRT Jules Verne draws on its expertise in robotics, automation, manufacturing processes and simulation to address these industrial challenges.
Driving the transformation of industrial production systems
Digital transformation is one of the key development priorities for the rail industry. The 2024–2027 Strategic Sector Agreement places digitalisation at the heart of the sector’s modernisation, both for infrastructure and production systems.
Automation, robotics, simulation and data-driven technologies can help improve process reliability and repeatability while supporting the transformation of production systems.
In these areas, IRT Jules Verne draws on expertise developed over several years through its work with other industrial sectors.
Supporting the transformation of the Rail Industry
Rail transport plays an important role in the decarbonisation of mobility. Its development also relies on the modernisation of the rail network, infrastructure and rolling stock. France’s national strategy for the digitalisation and decarbonisation of mobility identifies the railways of the future and the optimisation of rail operations among its key priorities.
For industrial companies, this transformation also means adapting products and manufacturing processes. Lightweighting, new materials, process optimisation and reducing their environmental impact are among the areas in which IRT Jules Verne’s expertise can be applied.
Maintaining the skills needed to support the industry’s growth
Like many industrial sectors, the rail industry is facing shortages in certain skills. A survey of very small businesses and SMEs in the sector notably identified a shortage of key skills as one of the main challenges faced by suppliers.
Automation and robotics can provide part of the solution, particularly for repetitive or low-value-added operations, while shifting jobs towards greater focus on supervision, inspection and process control.