French rail network operator SNCF will use the Gurobi Optimizer as the engine of its new, end-to-end freight train planning solution
By maximising resource utilisation, minimising costs, and improving service quality, SNCF plans to achieve the France’s goal of doubling the annual share of rail in overland freight volumes in the next 10 years.
SNCF is working together with the other members of the 4F Alliance – made up of rail freight operators, multimodal logistics companies, and domestic rail associations in France – to help reach the sustainable mobility targets set out in the European Green Deal last year. Those targets include calls for a 90% reduction from greenhouse gas emissions in transport by 2050 and also advocates a shift to rail and water as the preferred modes of freight transport.
To support this goal, the 4F Alliance aims to increase the average annual market share of rail freight transport in France from its current level of 9%-10% to 18% by 2030.
Said Jean-Marie Pommier, CIO of Rail Freight & Intermodal Transport at SNCF: “To help double the market share of rail freight over the next decade and achieve the European Green Deal’s ambitious sustainable mobility targets, we at SNCF must digitally transform our railway supply chain to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and competitiveness.
“A key component of this digital transformation initiative is our new planning solution, which utilizes the state-of-the-art mathematical optimization solver, the Gurobi Optimizer, to automatically generate optimal, integrated train plans that reduce operating costs and improve resource utilization, service excellence, and profitability,”.
Said a spokesperson for Gurobi: “This new, integrated freight train planning solution – which will be rolled out across SNCF’s operational network in France next year – will enable the rail transport giant to minimize fixed costs and boost service-level performance and customer satisfaction by optimizing the utilization of its resources including locomotives, railway cars, and specialized workers such as drivers.”
Gurobi said that its system will reduce taxes and costs and offer more competitive prices to customers by optimizing the capacity of SNCF’s infrastructure network. It will Optimise customer orders and bookings by accurately forecasting future demand and deploying the right resources to meet that demand.
Duke Perrucci, Gurobi’s Chief Revenue Officer, commented: “We at Gurobi are proud to partner with France’s national railway operator SNCF to create an integrated, automated freight train planning solution that will help SNCF increase its rail freight market share and help the European Union achieve its sustainability targets.
“This project is an excellent example of how mathematical optimization technologies can have a profound and positive impact on the world we live in.”
Frédéric Baumann, Gurobi’s Director of Business Development for Western Europe, remarked: “This partnership marks a major milestone in Gurobi’s expansion in the French market.”
Founded in 2008, Gurobi has operations across the US, Europe, and Asia and has more than 2,500 customers globally including SAP, Air France, Uber, and the National Football League (NFL).
