SNCF Digital Transformation: A Case Study

SNCF’s digital transformation covers the projects France’s national railway group launched to modernize both the passenger experience and its operations: open data, the single SNCF Connect app, predictive maintenance and the upskilling of railway staff. Driven by the opening of French rail to competition, it also shows what happens when a new tool reaches users too abruptly.

Following a significant delay in adopting digital tools, SNCF made a sharp pivot in 2015, compelled by the impending arrival of competition in the sector.

Leaders then fully grasped the challenges ahead. It was nothing less than a complete reinvention of the customer experience, as well as the organization's internal processes. Since then, SNCF has particularly focused on open data, improving user services, predictive maintenance, and training teams on new tools.

This colossal transformation project, however, has not been without its pitfalls. A testament to this was the chaotic launch in 2022 of the SNCF Connect application, which was supposed to streamline and enhance the customer journey. Behind this setback lies the inherent difficulty of any transition of such magnitude, both technological and cultural.

The Situation: An Unpopular Company and... Lagging Behind

Before its digital pivot initiated in 2015, SNCF suffered from a very poor image among rail users. And for good reason: delays were commonplace, information was sorely lacking during disruptions, and comfort sometimes left much to be desired.

On the digitalization front, SNCF also lagged significantly behind its European counterparts. For instance, very little data was publicly accessible, the mobile application was basic and not very user-friendly, and connected devices were conspicuously absent from trains and stations.

Worse still, many lines didn't even have proper Wi-Fi or 4G access. Unthinkable for today's hyper-connected travelers!

This technological stagnation was partly explained by SNCF's monopoly over the national rail network. Without competition, the public company had little incentive to drastically improve its offerings, services, and infrastructure.

However, the situation changed radically with the EU’s successive railway packages, which gradually opened passenger rail transport to competition. In France, high-speed lines have been open to new operators since December 2020, while regions have been able to tender their TER regional services since December 2019, with contracts awarded directly to SNCF ending by December 2023 at the latest.

Consequently, to retain its market share against new entrants, SNCF had no choice but to transform itself and embark on a large-scale digital transition. The first milestones of this ambitious strategy were laid starting in 2015. Let's now look at the solutions implemented to embrace the technological shift.

How much does SNCF invest in digital, and with what results?

To close this gap, the group made digital a major investment line. According to its page “Mettre le numérique au service de la performance”, SNCF invests €2 billion a year in its digital tools and offers more than 100 digital job profiles in-house.

On the passenger side, the SNCF Connect app and website recorded, still according to the group, 16.5 million customers and 1.55 billion visits in 2024, and the app sells 550,000 train tickets a day.

These figures show how far the program goes beyond ticket sales:

• Data: open datasets on timetables, punctuality, stations and accessibility.
• Customer relationship: a single entry point to plan, book and follow a trip.
• Operations: sensors and data analysis to plan the maintenance of rolling stock and tracks.
• Skills: training railway staff on new tools and hiring digital profiles.

As in any large organization, the value of these investments depends on how passengers and employees actually use the new tools.

Solutions Implemented to Embrace the Digital Shift

Open Data

SNCF quickly leveraged open data, making detailed datasets publicly available. Thanks to real-time updates, everyone can now access a wealth of information on train movements: scheduled and live timetables, punctuality rates, seat availability, train composition, etc.

This allows for the development of innovative services by startups, such as route planners that factor in delay probabilities or simulators for train occupancy rates.

User Services

Regarding passenger services, SNCF has redoubled its efforts in recent years. In 2022, it launched SNCF Connect, a unique application bringing together all the expected functionalities: trip planning, booking, traffic information, digital support during disruptions, etc.

Recognizing that many still prefer private cars for daily travel, SNCF also moved closer to BlaBlaCar: in November 2018, it invested in the carpooling platform, which agreed to acquire SNCF’s Ouibus coach subsidiary. The goal? To combine train, coach and carpooling offers and attract new travelers.

By leveraging the technological expertise of the French scale-up and its large user community, SNCF can thus complement its network in areas less well served by rail.

Predictive Maintenance

Beyond traffic streamlining, a whole area of maintenance optimization has also been undertaken. Sensors, IoT, digital twins, artificial intelligence... SNCF aims to leverage the latest technological advancements in this field.

Thanks to these cutting-edge tools, failures are better anticipated, repair operations are targeted, and the risk of delays is significantly reduced.

Team Training and Support

Digital transformation primarily relies onteam buy-in — which is why SNCF has implemented massive training and awareness plans for digital tools and methods. The aim is to promote their adoption by railway workers so that they can derive a maximum benefit in their daily work.

Tailor-made programs have thus been developed for driving, station management, maintenance, customer relations... The successful digitalization of the company necessarily requires upskilling its workforce to meet the challenges of tomorrow's railway industry.

SNCF Connect App Launch Hiccup

The rocky launch of the SNCF Connect application in January 2022 served as a reminder of the difficulty of successfully carrying out a digital transformation of such a scale.

Repeated bugs, missing features, interminable loading times... SNCF Connect was quickly slammed for its numerous technical and ergonomic malfunctions. This failure was all the more painful given that the single application was intended to be simpler than the two services it brought together, the OUI.sncf website and the SNCF Assistant app.

There are several explanations for this fiasco. First, the tight schedule imposed by management, which did not allow the technical teams enough time to uncover flaws and test the system's robustness on a large scale.

Next, the lack of involvement of railway workers and users in the development of the application, leading to a product disconnected from real-world needs.

While many problems have since been resolved through updates, this hiccup serves as a reminder, if one were needed, that digital transformation requires pragmatism and humility. A UX approach, Scrum and other agile methodologies are also essential in a constantly evolving sector.

What lessons can you learn from SNCF’s digital transformation?

SNCF Voyageurs management acknowledged the launch problems. Its CEO, Christophe Fanichet, told Le Parisien that “the launch of SNCF Connect was too abrupt, I regret it,” adding that the transition should have been more gradual (KultureGeek, citing Le Parisien, February 2022, our translation).

Several lessons apply to any organization replacing a widely used tool:

1. Roll out gradually: running the old and new tools side by side, or opening the service in waves, limits the impact of defects.
2. Involve users early: test with real user panels, have business teams run acceptance testing and collect pain points before go-live.
3. Support people at the moment of use: users accustomed to the old journey need contextual help inside the new tool, not just a launch campaign.
4. Measure and fix fast: track abandoned journeys and support requests to prioritize fixes.

These principles are detailed in our digital adoption plan method, which applies to customer-facing tools and internal applications alike.

Conclusion

Thus, SNCF has been compelled to undertake a profound technological transformation to get out of its rut. This vast undertaking is still underway, involving all levels of this immense structure, from management strategy to the optimization of every single train car.

From the systematization of open data to predictive maintenance, including the latest customer relationship innovations, SNCF now possesses certain assets to face market liberalization and attract tomorrow's travelers, who are hyper-connected and seeking intermodality.

The example of SNCF demonstrates how crucial digital transformation can be in improving an organization's performance.

At Knowmore, we are convinced that this process requires a tailor-made strategy and the buy-in of all employees. That's why we develop digital adoption solutions to effectively train and support teams at every stage of change. Whatever your sector and business challenges, our experts are available to advise you and provide the appropriate solutions to ensure the success of your technological transition.