You could call it a crash test. In March 2022 a TGV from Paris to Hendaye struck a doe at full speed—without breaking the locomotive’s nose cone. It was great news for Tanguy Choupin, head of the Innovative Materials & Processes project in SNCF’s Rail System Physics unit. In 2019, he had proposed replacing the TGV’s original nose cones with composite materials from the aeronautics industry.

To make a composite, an organic matrix of epoxy or polyester resin is reinforced with glass or carbon fibres, creating a new material with many valuable properties. This “reinforced plastic” has been used in aviation since the 1960s and is ideal for manufacturing large, complex parts. Because it is both light and strong, it makes trains more efficient, reducing weight and energy consumption while increasing passenger capacity.

“This technology gives us a powerful opportunity to use the right material in the right place. By replacing glass and polyester with a glass and epoxy composite, we can make our obstacle deflectors more impact-resistant and more aerodynamic,” says Karim Slimani. He’s head of composite materials in the Rolling Stock Division at SNCF Voyageurs, and a member of our Synapses network of experts.

The new composite TGV nose cone is now being manufactured at scale. “It costs more than a conventional material but will last significantly longer. Today, we replace 450 broken nose cones a year, so it should pay for itself,” adds Tanguy Choupin.

The Innovative Materials & Processes team identifies cutting-edge materials with benefits for the rail industry. These include lighter, more energy-efficient materials that can be used to build the trains of the future. If an electric train is lighter, for example, it can carry more onboard batteries.

At SNCF, we’re working on new composite materials that are bio-based, recyclable and as tough as possible. The more sustainable they are, the less environmental impact they have. The challenge? “Adapting these materials to the rail industry’s ultra-high standards for fire resistance and toxicity,” says Tanguy Choupin. Before we can replace semi-structural components such as metal seats, or structural components like a train’s bogies or aluminium outer shell, we need standards.

To reach this goal, SNCF researchers have joined the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), which drafts the rules for using new materials. But there’s also a business component: composites will be even more valuable when the weight of a train translates directly into costs—just as the aviation industry enjoys substantial savings every time an aircraft sheds a kilo. That’s the value of this research: looking ahead to the projects of tomorrow and making them a reality.

About 90% of our industrial materials are already available off the shelf, but when we have the opportunity to design promising materials, we take it. So if we find a cheap, eco-friendly material that could be upgraded to meet our safety standards, we might work with an interested supplier to develop it with them.

We work with train manufacturers, and we’re involved in developing the specifications for our rolling stock.

Yes. If a part breaks repeatedly, for example, that’s SNCF’s business. So is midlife refurbishment. After 15 years, we strip trains down and replace everything. For that, we might step in and use innovative materials to make the interior fittings, such as the seats, the bar and the cladding panels.

Partners at SNCF: our Rouen Technicentre specializes in repairing composite fairing components, and all composite materials are tested and approved by the French Railway Testing Agency (AEF) in Vitry-sur-Seine, just south of Paris.

Outside partners: composite rail parts suppliers, specialized subcontractors, and laboratories in academia and industry.