As the world turned its attention to Paris for the highly anticipated 2024 Olympic Games, the Station Managers Global Group and SNCF hosted a specialised workshop on Station Management during Major Tourist Events. The workshop took place on 8 and 9 August in Paris, bringing together representatives from Jernhusen, SAR, NS, SNCB/NMBS and SNCF, as well as other companies that followed parts of the workshop online.
The workshop presented the system developed by SNCF for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, including the coordination of SNCF Gares & Connexions with all internal and external stakeholders (Paris 2024, IDFM Paris region transportation authority, the ministerial delegation in charge of the Olympic games, Mobility committee, City of Paris, Ministry, etc.)
The public were welcomed by 1,500 trained SNCF staff members and around 10,000 volunteers for the Olympics. The different security, safety and hospitality strategies necessary to ensure smooth operation and maintain safety throughout the event were presented by means of technical visits to the Paris-Nord, Paris-Est and Paris-Montparnasse stations, led by station directors and their staff. The participants learned about the exceptional flow management system, based on the analysis of possible changes in passenger flows, which allowed SNCF teams to act quickly in the event of an emergency.
SMGG members also had a chance to visit the CNOF, National Centre for Railway Operations, a veritable control tower, operational 24/7, which monitors and regulates the movement of all trains throughout the country, together with all railway companies operating on the network. The work of this centre enabled the rapid neutralisation of the impact of the attacks on the French railway network in the hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, including fires to destroy the fibre optic cables at signal boxes along France’s high-speed rail lines. These attacks had been intended to disable the TGV’s nerve centres outside Paris: the signal boxes at Courtalain (Atlantic high-speed line), Croisilles (LGV Nord) and Pagny-sur-Moselle (LGV Est). However, thanks to the flawless work of the CNOF, movement on these railway axes was recovered quickly.
The second day was dedicated to the customer experience, through the demonstration of the journey of a supporter. First up was the presentation of an innovative device to guide customers during the Olympic Games: a large billboard featuring judoka Sarah-Léonie Cysique, a recent medallist and SNCF employee. Equipped with artificial intelligence, her avatar can answer the basic questions that tourists ask themselves, such as the best route to reach the Eiffel Tower or their vacation spot, or where the nearest toilets are.
Later in the morning, the group took an RER B transfer to the Stade de France and were given a brief tour of the station. To ensure they enjoyed the full experience, the attendees were invited to watch the athletics semi-finals competition, followed by a transfer back to Paris with the rest of the fans: a true customer experience from a to z!
Overall, flow management is a crucial topic for station managers around the world. SMGG members agreed that the sector will work further on this subject in the future.
