SNCF and Zelra extend their DAS collaboration in France – why this matters for DAS everywhere

Zelra and SNCF have agreed to extend our partnership, confirming this long-term Driver Advisory System (DAS) technology collaboration will continue for a further five years. This is the latest milestone for an association that began in 2012. It also represents significantly more than a statement of continuity.

Continuing the collaboration until 2030 reflects confidence in an established technology, in a delivery model that works, and in a direction of travel that both organisations are committed to. It is worth setting out what that confidence is based on, and what it signals for DAS more broadly.

More than a decade of operational proof

SNCF is one of Zelra’s largest customers globally. Our DAS algorithms are embedded within the SNCF-developed Sirius Next platform, which operates across France’s national rail network via driver tablets. Approximately 10,000 drivers use the system daily.

The scale of this deployment matters because it is not a pilot or a limited trial. It is a fully integrated operational system running across one of Europe’s leading rail networks. SNCF is France’s largest single industrial consumer of electricity, using around 9 TWh per year. Zelra’s DAS plays a key role in helping to manage that consumption through driving advice that is optimised for energy efficiency.

DAS has delivered up to ten per cent annual traction energy savings at scale for SNCF, based on operational evidence. That figure is not a projection. It is the outcome of sustained deployment at national scale, measured over time. It is the kind of evidence that justifies a five-year commitment.

Reporting and analytics as the next layer of value

For most operators, the first question about Zelra’s DAS is whether it works. Does it help drivers run to time? Does it reduce fuel consumption? Does it support driver safety? The SNCF deployment answers these questions at a scale that cannot be disputed.

The next question is how operators can make sustained use of their DAS data. A system generating continuous journey information across a national fleet creates significant analytical opportunity. Realising that opportunity requires structured reporting, appropriate tooling, and the capability to translate driver behaviour data into operational insight. This is where Zelra’s ongoing capability development is focused.

The SNCF relationship is both a context for developing this capability and a proof point for it. Reporting and analytics work developed in a deployment of this scale and complexity has a credibility that other environments cannot easily replicate.

C-DAS and the direction of travel

The collaboration has included Connected Driver Advisory System (C-DAS) development work, with active progress being made as both organisations anticipate the next phase of France’s digital railway. C-DAS extends the core DAS platform by integrating live operational data from Traffic Management systems, allowing journey profiles to recalculate dynamically as network conditions change. The driver interface and interaction model remain the same.

Active C-DAS development is continuing with SNCF, including exploration of SFERA, the European standard for real-time operational data exchange between infrastructure managers and train operators. This work is significant because it positions the collaboration at the intersection of national-scale DAS maturity and the emerging digital railway architecture that operators across Europe are planning towards.

The direction is toward an integrated operational environment where driver advisory capability, real-time regulation, and network-level data flow work together. SNCF’s network is one of the environments where this is being actively developed.

What this means for operators evaluating DAS

The SNCF partnership is relevant beyond France. The proof points it generates cover rail energy efficiency at a national scale, reporting capability in a complex multi-fleet environment, and C-DAS development grounded in live operational reality. These are applicable to other markets including Spain, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Operators evaluating DAS often work through a similar set of questions: does the technology perform at scale, does the supplier understand the operational environment, and is there a credible pathway from initial deployment to connected capability? The SNCF relationship offers grounded evidence on all three.

A five-year extension is SNCF’s answer to those questions. It is also Zelra’s strongest reference point for operators asking the same things.

A partnership built for the long term

Zelra’s DAS has been operational with SNCF for over a decade. The technology has matured, the deployment has expanded, and the collaboration has deepened to encompass analytics, connected capability, and shared development work on emerging standards.

The five-year renewal is not a routine contract event. It reflects the kind of trust that only sustained, evidence-based delivery can build. It confirms that DAS continues to offer operational value at the highest level of scale and complexity, and that Zelra remains the partner SNCF wants for the next phase of its digital railway journey.

For any operator considering DAS, that is the most straightforward proof point available. Want to discuss our learnings from France? Contact our team today.