RATP Group is a global leader in high-capacity urban rail, with operations and maintenance in more than 100 cities and 16 countries.
In Australia, its international subsidiary, RATP Dev, is leaning on RATP Group’s 125 years of experience and operations from international networks to develop solutions and bring innovation.
Innovation is of key importance to the group, especially when it comes to digitalisation, from modernising systems to developing digital tools for asset maintenance.
Leaders in automation systems
RATP Group has been a leader in metro operations – including successfully delivering the first fully-automated line on the Paris network, Line 14.
The group has also applied its knowledge to commuter rail in the French capital, with the installation of the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system on the commuter rail line RER A (one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional, a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving the city and suburbs of Paris) when the time came to renew the SACEM system. SACEM is an abbreviation of the French “Système d’Aide à la Conduite, à l’Exploitation et à la Maintenance” – or “Driver Assistance, Operation, and Maintenance System” in English. It’s a digital driving assistance system on the central section of RER A, developed by RATP at the end of the 1980s.
SACEM allows traffic to be regulated throughout the line, through fixed blocks used for train spacing. It was designed to reduce the practical interval between trains from two minutes and 30 seconds to two minutes, increasing the line capacity by 20 per cent to 30 trains per hour.
RATP Group has studied, designed and proposed an automatic control system to maximise and homogenise train speed in the central section equipped with SACEM. With the ATO system, the driver supervises the passengers’ ascent and descent, closes the doors and sets the train in motion, and the train is then driven by the automated system to the next station. Automatic piloting would thus make it possible to save two minutes of travel time and achieve the target of 30 trains per hour in the central section.
RATP Group committed to having a functional automatic control system on the central section of RER A, to improve train operation and journey times. To do so, the existing SACEM system and the rollingstock had to be updated. The ATO system was first installed on RER A trains in April 2017 and all trains were equipped by March 2018.
The Automatic Train Operation system enabled more regularity on the line. Coupled with new timetables and a unified command centre, the line punctuality increased from 89.3 per cent in 2018 to 93.47 per cent in 2024.
These initial findings highlight the benefits of the Automatic Train Operation mode. The provisional schedule was followed without impacting traffic, and with no negative effect on operations during the deployment. Finally, the main result of the project is the deployment of a viable technical solution, building on existing infrastructure and systems, which improved the service provided to travellers.
In 2030, in conjunction with the opening of lines 15 and 16 of the Greater Paris metro network at Noisy-Champs, it is planned to extend the SACEM zone, with automatic piloting from Val de Fontenay to Noisy Champs stations.
More recently, the full automation of Line 4 again showcased the Group’s capacity to modernise assets and its expertise in automated metro. This shows how RATP Group is always at the forefront of innovation to modernise assets for better operations and maintenance.
RATP Dev has also developed a digital tool for asset maintenance aimed at leveraging data to optimise and predict maintenance and offer improved quality of service to its passengers.
Digital tools for asset maintenance
Maint’Up is an in-house digital maintenance solution from RATP Dev that collects, centralises and analyses the data available from all equipment to optimise maintenance and facilitate the work of teams on a daily basis.
Maint’Up has been developed to be tailored specifically for each network. It has one single, streamlined interface for all equipment, including trains, bus, tram, stations, infrastructure, and signalling, to ensure the data can be understood by all teams, from operators and maintenance staff to data experts and management. With a dashboard showing contractual and operational KPIs at their fingertips, teams can monitor operational performance with ease.
The solution can be used for all types of maintenance, from corrective to predictive, with remote access to data about the condition of the equipment. Users can get an instant view of incidents on the network, allowing them to co-ordinate action from operations and maintenance teams. They can also define and optimise their alerts, identifying potential new alert rules and removing alerts that are no longer relevant.
By facilitating more efficient performance management and improved equipment reliability and availability, Maint’Up contributes to optimise energy consumption, save time and money and offer a better service to customers. In Angers, France, where RATP Dev operates and maintains the tramway network, the deployment of Maint’Up led to a 20 per cent reduction in the tram network’s energy consumption per 100 kilometres, as well as a 40 per cent reduction in heat-related energy consumption.
Maint’Up was also used to carry out an analysis of 2.7 million passages of trams at traffic lights, to improve the traffic light priority system for trams. The RATP Dev team is currently developing an analysis of the tram doors’ opening and closing times to detect signs of incoming faults, applying predictive maintenance, thanks to Maint’Up.
After the successful launch of Maint’Up in Angers, RATP Dev is considering the deployment of this solution to other subsidiaries in France and Singapore.
As the company operates networks all around the world, from the United States of America to Australia, RATP Dev aims to create solutions that will take into account specificities of the local market and answer local needs.
To keep evolving with the technical progress of its time, and by leaning on the strength of collaboration with actors from the rail industry as well as the digital sector, RATP Group is investing in open innovation initiatives to keep experimenting and discovering what digitalisation can offer to improve its activities.
Innovation at the service of the railway industry
RATP Group is also encouraging innovation for the railway industry through Labs such as Rail Open Lab (ROL).
Rail Open Lab is an open innovation accelerator for sustainable and efficient rail infrastructure, supporting collaboration between key actors of the industry to develop solutions since 2018. It brings together French infrastructure managers Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF Reseau) and RATP Infrastructure, as well as professional unions from the railway and digital transition industries and about 30 industrial organisations.
The lab’s approach is based on real-life operations conditions experiments, taking place over short cycles (four months), to allow for agility, engagement and openness. Projects cover various fields, from sustainability to predictive maintenance and workplace safety. At the moment, they are testing a solution for track waste rehabilitation. This approach reduces the time to market of the innovation approach while supporting the development of the French rail industry expertise based on operational issues of industry actors.
The ROL has worked on seven case studies, five of which are being industrialised. Below are three case studies being tested and under consideration for large-scale deployment by RATP Group.
Analysis of infrastructure with LiDAR 3D data
RATP Group and The Cross Product (TCP) have developed an advanced solution for the analysis and management of railway infrastructures using 3D LiDAR data.
Optimising railway maintenance requires precise 3D analysis of infrastructures. 3D LiDAR data can identify defects (rail deformations, gauge checks, collision risk detection) and improve predictive maintenance for safer and more efficient infrastructures.
The solution proposed by RATP Group is an approach combining 3D LiDAR data processing with digital twins and artificial intelligence (AI). Fast and accurate defect analysis is available directly, with detailed reports, complete with 3D measurements and simulations. Other key features include a simulation of a train gauge that can identify optimal locations for equipment and track layout analysis and generation of 2D and 3D cross sections.
A precise geolocation system underground
To accurately locate and track the usage data such as distance travelled, average speed of its Infrastructure Maintenance Vehicles (IMVs), RATP Infrastructures sought to develop a new tool. Dotflow, an expert in image processing and geolocation, committed to a four-month trial to address this requirement.
The solution proposed by Dotflow is a device comprising a camera, a LiDAR, an inertial measurement unit, and a data recorder powered by batteries. The device’s geopositioning system uses pre-existing cartographic data from RATP Infrastructures and real-time on-board data from sensors.
When an IMV passes through a tunnel, Dotflow’s device can transmit the vehicle’s position to agents remotely, with a tolerance of five metres. The device can be installed or removed in one day, without the need for any special work or modifications to the IMV.
RATP Group’s objectives are to ease the assembly of convoys in storage sites, improve the monitoring of IMVs and detect and localise certain defects, to move from preventive to predictive vehicle maintenance.
The solution was experimented at night on RATP’s metro network, in three successive phases:
- Installation of the systems and calibration of the sensors.
- Data collection during night work.
- Data analysis and execution of Dotflow’s algorithms.
The experiment relied on existing maps of the underground network. To address challenges related to the use of a camera, the data collected during the operations was anonymised and encrypted before being recorded, and awareness-raising actions were carried out for the parties involved.
Dotflow’s device showed impressive results, with 100 per cent availability of the device during the tests underground on more than 44,000 kilometres of travelled tracks, and 100 per cent track accuracy. The device proved robust to external disturbances and transitioned smoothly from tunnels to an outdoor environment.
Following the experiment, the teams made several observations:
- There are few constraints in integrating the device into existing infrastructure, though some points still need to be clarified for vehicle integration.
- The proposed geolocation solution meets the operational needs.
- Raising awareness about GDPR issues with employees at the early stages of the experiment helped facilitate the process.
- Ensuring the quality of the available mapping data is a key and significant step.
Connected glasses for training and remote assistance
To maintain a high level of skill in its workforce and facilitate the operation of its network, RATP Infrastructures sought to modernise its training system and strengthen the support provided to its agents during troubleshooting missions.
RATP Infrastructures was looking for a hands-free tool to help maintain the knowledge of its teams on specific and uncommon techniques. The goal was also to modernise training for PHT (High Voltage) lockout procedures and improve the comfort of agents during troubleshooting.
LUNAAR, an expert in augmented collaboration, aimed to meet this need by committing to a four-month sprint. The solution proposed by LUNAAR consists of a connected headset with glasses, a digital platform dedicated to RATP agent training, and remote troubleshooting software.
In the context of training, this solution allows for real-time learning with a course broadcasted through the headset, illustrating the trainer’s actions with images.
During a troubleshooting operation, the agent can request technical assistance or advice from a remote colleague, while sharing their field of vision. The aim is to improve the performance of maintenance tasks as colleagues can share information such as pictures, processes and schematics with the on-field agent, keeping their hands free.
RATP experimented the solution in high-voltage substations that supply power to the RATP network lines.
In the case of remote troubleshooting assistance, an agent was sent to perform maintenance, and the remote consultation with a technical expert allowed the issue to be resolved more quickly and calmly. Eight teams tested the connected glasses for remote troubleshooting assistance.
In the case of training, the agent followed a module on an RATP procedure via a pre-recorded training program displayed in their headset. The actions to be performed were detailed and illustrated with photos showing the trainer’s actions, allowing for effective immersion for the trainee.
Thanks to these experiments, the teams were able to get hands-on with this new system and enhance the digitalisation of training processes.
RATP Group was able to test the value of this type of solution with its teams. Real-time assistance, in particular, is a significant asset for optimising operations. For the company, this innovative solution strengthens its pedagogical methods for better memory retention, sharing the practical activities of one trainee with the entire group and sustaining key technical skills. It also enables instant sharing of situations and information exchanges (diagrams, photos, procedures) to optimise problem-solving time and improve the quality of service.
This innovation was successfully tested during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.
With further experimentation, this solution could open the door to the group’s experts sharing their knowledge or intervening in real time more broadly.
Denis Masure, Managing Director of RATP Dev Australia said: “We could imagine an expert in Singapore leveraging these innovations to help out a team in Australia.
“For Australian teams, it could mean accessing and sharing knowledge from the group with other experts in the APAC zone.”
Better solutions
RATP Group is striving to innovate for better solutions that are more efficient, sustainable, and adaptable to each local context.
With RATP Dev and international subsidiaries such as RATP Dev Australia, there are testing grounds and collaboration opportunities for many different case studies and feedback.
Denis Masure said: “Our experts from all around the globe work together to improve urban transport solutions and respond to our clients’ needs and overall enhance our passengers’ lives.”
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