Managing vegetation: the best options
Vegetation management on and alongside tracks is essential to train safety and on-time performance. With 28,000 kms of track, largely in rural areas, SNCF Réseau uses a range of methods to promote safety while safeguarding biodiversity.
Delivering safe operations in every situation
SNCF Réseau manages vegetation on and alongside railway tracks to ensure:
- Safe train operations
- Staff safety
- Fire prevention
Different techniques are used depending on the context. Tracks, sidings and service paths are weeded regularly, while maintenance and ecological restoration measures are applied in green buffer zones to balance vegetation management with essential rail safety.
125,000
ha of rail right-of-way to maintain, including 37,000 ha of tracks and access paths
60%
reduction in treated areas thanks to vegetation detection technologies
376,000
minutes lost in 2024 due to vegetation-related issues (fallen trees and branches)
Vegetation control trains to the fore
Around 20 vegetation control trains operate nationwide as part of SNCF’s track treatment campaigns. They use a variety of products, including pelargonic acid (a biocontrol product) and sulfonylureas, herbicides approved by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).
Equipped with GPS and connected to a mapping system, these trains automatically shut off their spray nozzles when approaching sensitive areas such as rivers and streams, riverbanks, ditches, drinking water catchments, and built-up land.
Geotextiles
Preventive measures to keep tracks clear of vegetation include geotextiles—durable weed-control fabrics laid beneath the track bed and covered with sand. Used on service tracks and around certain equipment, they act as a barrier that prevents plants from taking root. Their use is now being extended across the entire network as part of track renewal works.
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Occitanie target: replacing herbicides entirely with geotextiles (3:43)
Selective planting—seeding beats weeding
Selective seeding is used on service tracks, with carefully chosen plant mixtures that meet rail safety and operational requirements. Developed in partnership with Natura’lis and marketed under the Végérail brand, these species are designed to limit maintenance. In the long term, the goal is to eliminate herbicide vegetation control on seeded tracks, reducing interventions to a single mechanical pass each year.
A charter governing use of plant protection products
For several years, SNCF Réseau has pursued a comprehensive strategy to reduce the use of synthetic plant protection products. Since 2022, 95% of weed control on tracks and sidings has relied on biocontrol products.
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