Date of birth: 1938
We’ve been anticipating and accompanying societal changes since 1938. To celebrate these decades of shared history, we look back at SNCF’s firsts.
Once upon a time...
On 31 August 1937, an agreement was signed by private railway companies and approved by decree-law to create the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, or SNCF.
These private regional railway companies merged to become a single national network supervised by the French state. They were:
- In northern France: Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Nord (Nord)
- In eastern France: Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l’Est (Est)
- Linking Paris-Orleans and southern France: Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi (P.O. Midi)
- Linking Paris to Lyon and the Mediterranean: Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM)
Two networks that were already state-owned—Réseau de l’État and Chemins de fer d’Alsace-Lorraine—completed the merger.
Initially the French State had a 51% stake in SNCF
The decree-law came into effect on 1 January 1938—SNCF’s official date of birth. SNCF started out as a société d’économie mixte or semi-public company, with the French State owning 51% of its capital and private shareholders, including Rothschild Group, owning 49%.
SNCF firsts
Our first logo
SNCF is born, and this is its first logo. The interlocking letters of the new company’s name represent the merger of the major regional railway companies.
Our first poster
Featuring the slogan “Le rail à votre service”, or “The railway at your service”, our first poster was designed by Éditions Paul Martial. Over the years, people came to refer to the company by its acronym “SNCF”, which became one of France’s best-known brands.
Our first uniform
After reviewing the former private railway companies, the PLM uniform was chosen as the inspiration for the SNCF uniform and the first employee regulations were published on 11 December 1939. The uniform was introduced gradually—with an interruption during the Second World War.
Our first head office
The building at 88 rue Saint Lazare in Paris was built in 1866 and served initially as the head office for Compagnie PLM. It became the headquarters for SNCF from its inception to 1999, when the company relocated to the 14th arrondissement in southern Paris.
Our first in-house newsletter
SNCF drew on the expertise of the PLM Bulletin team, and quickly published the first edition of “Notre Métier” (Our Profession) in the spring of 1938. This newsletter was distributed free of charge to the company’s 500,000 employees in station libraries and information offices. Shortly after, it began producing 5 regional supplements for the northern, eastern (French and German bilingual edition), southeastern, southwestern and western regions of France.
“Our story is your story”
80 years of history in just 12 minutes
Watch our video and hop on the memory train with us. Created by Géraldine and Benjamin Sroussi of OLAM Productions, with a soundtrack by Benjamin Sire, this clip showcases the archives and testimonials gathered in 2018 for our 80th anniversary collection: “Collection 80 ans”.
Embark on a journey through our history: From our inception on 1 January 1938, to the advent of the TGV and its high-speed records, though the dark hours of the Second World War and the transition from steam to diesel engines.
SNCF: our story is your story
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