In addition to the information published in the 339th edition of eNews, and following on from French President François Hollande’s state visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on 28 February, Russian Railways (RZD) and SNCF signed a statement of intent at the end of March to establish a Franco-Russian high speed training and research centre in cooperation with Moscow State University of Railway Engineering (MIIT), Paris’ Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – Cnam), and Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées (Civil and Structural Engineering School – ENPC, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech).
The agreement was initialled during a ceremony held at Cnam by RDZ President Vladimir Yakunin, SNCF President Guillaume Pepy, as well as the project’s partner universities: the Rector of MIIT Boris Liovine, the Deputy Head of Cnam Christian Forestier, and the Director of ENPC Armel de La Bourdonnaye.
This Franco-Russian high speed training and research centre will aim to strengthen and develop the scientific, technological and training aspects of bilateral cooperation in this fast-growing field. “Russia and France share a great railway culture and tradition”, recalled Guillaume Pepy, highlighting that “this future Franco-Russian centre will make it possible to establish high speed routes from the Atlantic to the Pacific.”
“Today’s aim isn’t about copying SNCF but about working together to create more modern high speed transport systems, taking into account Russia’s vast distances and low temperatures”, said Vladimir Yakunin, President of RZD. “This agreement illustrates Cnam’s desire to support French companies in their international development by training future managers and technicians for this project”, explained Christian Forestier, Deputy Head of Cnam. MIIT and ENPC will provide their expertise through joint research, exchanges between teachers, researchers and students, and training schemes.
This agreement comes as part of the broad-based cooperation between SNCF and RZD, particularly in the area of knowledge and know-how. Since 2006, SNCF and MIIT have jointly trained over 350 managers and leaders at RZD in a number of technical fields. Four training sessions of this kind are thus planned this year. A Masters in Infrastructure and High Speed Operations in Russia and Ukraine was also launched in November 2012 at the impetus of Cnam’s Chair in Railway Technology and Competence (TCF) and SNCF, as well as other partners including RZD, MIIT and Saint Petersburg State University of Railway Transport.
From September 2014, this programme – selected and financed by the European Union (Tempus Programme) – will train railway managers in Moscow and Saint Petersburg in specific aspects of high speed. SNCF and the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech have in recent years strengthened their cooperation in the field of rail transport, firstly by expanding their study programmes through the creation in 2008 of a specialised Masters in Guided Rail Transport Systems to deal with the shortage of railway engineers, and secondly, by developing areas of common research, evidenced by the creation in May 2012 of a Chair in Reinventing Stations in the 21st Century.
(Source: SNCF)
