Australia 
Brazil 
Chile 
China 
Columbia 
Denmark 
Egypt 
France 
India 
Indonesia 
Ireland 
Italy 
Malaysia 
New Zealand 
Norway 
Panama 
Peru 
Poland 
Portugal 
Saudi Arabia 
Singapore 
Spain 
South Korea 
Sweden 
Taiwan 
Thailand 
Türkiye 
United Kingdom 
United States 
Vietnam 
In 2023, the Group consolidated its growth trajectory, implemented with coherence, consistency, and perseverance. This led to 6 acquisitions, which have strengthened our key geographies and areas of expertise and resulted in sustained activity throughout the world. This momentum is driven by strong commitments, especially concerning the climate challenge, and increasingly robust ethics and safety. Finally, 2023 saw the number of employees rise to over 10,000 and more than 1 billion euros in turnover.
The 2023 Activity Report emphasises proximity and impact, with a geolocation symbol on the cover and throughout the document, as well as concrete cases and testimonials. SYSTRA is there to answer the needs of our clients and the increasing mobility challenges of populations.
The illustrations are by Levente Szabo, a Hungarian illustrator with a dynamic and colourful style.
We hope you enjoy reading the report!
Third Major Success in Toronto: Confidence Renewed for SYSTRA Canada on the Toronto Subway
SYSTRA Canada is strengthening its presence on the creation of the Ontario Line by being entrusted with the role of integrator for the group, led by the OTG (Ontario Transit Group) consortium, made up of Ferrovial and Vinci.
We have been working alongside this constructor since January 2023 to manage the integration and safety activities for the Southern Civils works section of the line.
This is the third major success for SYSTRA in Toronto in the space of four years.
This is the first time we have won a contract for a constructor, which takes us to a new stage in our development. After two contracts as construction partner, for GO Expansion in 2021 and for the Toronto Yonge North and Scarborough underground extensions in 2022, SYSTRA Canada has confirmed its role as a major player in engineering and consulting in Toronto.
Samuel Derosiaux, Executive Vice President, Transit, SYSTRA Canada
Our teams benefit from a unique overview because we were involved right from the start of the project, enabling us to provide our expertise upstream and guarantee that deadlines were met, as well as anticipating and minimising risks before the construction, installation and commercial commissioning phases.
Benoit Barberot, Head of Systems Integration, SYSTRA Canada
We are proud to be working on the creation of this crucial line for Toronto. The authorities have made a firm decision to extend the public transport network in order to encourage a modal shift towards the subway, which makes the Ontario Line one of the most important metro creation projects in North America.
Danuta Dupieu, Ontario Line Project Director, SYSTRA Canada
a nEW lEASE OF lIFE FOR mOBILITY IN tORONTO
The new Ontario Line will link Ontario Place in the south to the Science Centre in the north, serving the city centre and connecting with the two existing subway lines.
The creation of this new subway line is a major improvement for the residents of Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park, Liberty Village and Fort York, who will have direct and rapid access to the city centre. More than 255,000 people will be within a 10-minute walk of the stations, potentially taking 28,000 cars off the roads every day and reducing ridership at the most congested stations by 14% (Union station) and even 22% (Bloor/Yonge station).
To blend in better with the urban fabric, more than half of the line will be built underground, particularly the section in the city centre. With projected ridership of almost 400,000 passengers a day, the Ontario line will become the new backbone of the Toronto subway, with 90-second intervals between trains during rush hour. The project also includes the creation of a maintenance workshop and a cluster of garages.
The new line is due to come into service in Toronto in 2030.
did you know ?
SYSTRA’s first project in Toronto dates back to the 1980s, as part of studies for the creation of a high-speed line, and it was from 2020 onwards that our presence developed significantly.
From 2017 to 2024, SYSTRA IBT worked on the project to build the Davenport Diamond Guideway, which will improve traffic safety on the GO and Canadian Pacific rail lines while creating a new public space above ground. SYSTRA Canada then formed a joint venture with Mace and Comtech to better serve our clients, a move crowned with success at the end of 2021 with the winning of the GO Expansion program for Metrolinx.
This enabled us to change our stature on the ground with a 10-year contract to provide commuter services to Toronto.
Key Features – Ontario Line in Toronto
- New line of 15.6 km;
- Les than 30 minutes from one terminus to the other;
- 15 stations of which 6 are connected;
- 40 connections with the GO railway and surface transport;
- Tunnel sections, in viaduct and on the surface;
- 300 jobs created for maintenance centres and garages;
- Commissioning: 2030.
South Section of the Line
- 8 stations;
- Associated tunnel and underground structures sections;
- 12 engineering and systems experts mobilised;
- Specific expetises: interfaces management, requirements management, preparation and trials monitoring, configuration studies, safety and security management, drawing up of engineering and integration plans.
* GoA 4: Grade of Automation level 4, the highest possible classification for automatic metro lines.
SNCF and RATP Enter into Exclusive Negotiations with LATOUR CAPITAL and FIMALAC with a View to Opening up SYSTRA’s Capital
This operation is fully in line with SYSTRA’s ambition to strengthen its position as a leader in public transport and sustainable mobility in a global market with strong growth potential. With a presence in 80 countries, SYSTRA intends to accelerate its growth strategy with the support of the new shareholders, especially through a proactive acquisition policy in high-potential geographical areas.
The participation of LATOUR CAPITAL-FIMALAC in SYSTRA’s capital would be very good news for the Group. It would mark a new stage in the growth trajectory of SYSTRA, which has been putting its expertise at the service of populations and regions for over 65 years. For several years we have been committed to a vigorous development plan in the very dynamic transport engineering market. The support of the new shareholders, alongside our historic shareholders SNCF and RATP, would enable us to move forward more quickly and more securely to make SYSTRA an undisputed world champion in its category.
Pierre Verzat, CEO of SYSTRA
With 10,700 employees worldwide, SYSTRA’s mission is to make travel more fluid throughout the world in order to bring populations closer together. Signature team for transport solutions, SYSTRA supports its partners and clients throughout the lifecycle of their projects, as demonstrated by its involvement in The Grand Paris Express, the High Speed 2 project in the UK, the Dubai metro and the Samuel-De Champlain bridge in Canada.
Completion of the transaction remains subject to the information and consultation procedure with employee representative bodies and the approval of the various regulatory authorities. In addition, it will give rise to a referral to the ‘Shareholdings and Transfers Commission’.
Redeveloping St-Jérôme Station with the Help of DronesSYSTRA Canada used its expertise in drones to get a bird’s eye view of the project.
How do you adopt a different point of view on the accessibility improvements to be made to an infrastructure? To better advise our client, the operator exo, SYSTRA Canada’s teams used a drone flight over Saint-Jérôme station. This enabled more data to be aggregated than in a conventional feasibility study, making suggestions for the installation of equipment and new services for users more robust.
From a cloud of points to a complete overview
To carry out the survey, you first need to identify control points and record their geolocation coordinates using GPS. The survey can then begin, using 360° panoramic cameras to photograph the areas and draw up a high-resolution topographical map. All the elements that make up accessibility are inventoried: parking spaces, pavements, pathways, and access to buildings.
The images are then processed by photogrammetry1 software, which matches the images with points to determine the shape, dimensions, and spatial location of the buildings. The formalized data display is accessible to the teams in real time. Once processed, the data can be used by other solutions, for example to optimize parking spaces using artificial intelligence.
Drones can make a number of valuable contributions: they can be used quickly, with results available within 48 hours; they provide elevation data to give a better understanding of the topography of pedestrian walkways; and they give clients a completely up-to-date view of their building, in the form of a 2D map. We took the immersive experience a step further, offering a 360° virtual tour of the buildings and their surroundings. The client immediately saw the value of these tools for their projects and their contacts!
Stephan Krajicek, Team leader, mechanical projects – SYSTRA Canada
Towards an immersive visit
In addition to the static survey and the digital surface and elevation models, the drones offer the possibility of immersive visits: the team used the CUPIX Works SaaS (Software as a Service) platform and the DroneDeploy solution to transform the 360° shots taken by the drones into data that can be used for a virtual 3-D fly-through, similar to Google Streetview. This enables project participants to navigate the project site as if they were there, and to make decisions more efficiently.
Moreover, the interactive dimension of the experience is another asset for the life of the project, since the CUPIX platform provides tools for measuring distances, surfaces, and volumes. All this means that both the client and our teams can annotate, collaborate, and share information directly on the platform, which becomes the working environment for discussing studies and, ultimately, monitoring worksites.
Thanks to this reference, SYSTRA can now position itself, when tenders are invited, as an expert in the use of drones and technologies that capture the reality on the ground, whether for project design or construction supervision.
Key features – Drone inspection of Saint-Jérôme station
- 3 overflights
- 6 hours of inspection
- 45 minutes of 360° video captured
- 2 employees: 1 pilot operator and 1 observer
- Data processed and delivered to the client within 48 hours
- Photogrammetry is a measurement technique that consists in determining the shape, dimensions and location of an object in space by taking several photographs of it. ↩︎
ONE OF A KIND TRADE SHOW AND CONFERENCE FOR TRANSIT RAIL
A unique opportunity to learn more about the rail industry. Get your tickets now and meet us at BOOTH 221!
A unique opportunity to learn more about the rail industry: Indoors and Outdoors, Demos, Conference, Technology Showcase, Keynote Speakers, etc.
location
The International Centre, Mississauga, Hall 5
Mississauga, 6900 Airport Rd, Mississauga, ON L4V 1E8, Canada
detailed schedule
Tuesday June 18
9:00 am to 9:20 am
Opening Remarks by TRACCS Board and Minister for Transportation (Main Stage)
9:20 am to 10:00 am
Fireside Chat with Rick Leary (TTC’s CEO), interviewed by Kirsten Watson (Main Stage)
10:00 am to 10:30 am
Rita Toporowski, Chief Service Delivery Officer – VIA Rail (Main Stage)
10:30 am to 11:00 am
Infrastructure Ontario Panel (Main Stage)
11:00 am to 11:40 am
Go Expansion Panel (Main Stage)
11:40 am to 12:10 pm
OnCorr Panel (Main Stage)
12:10 pm to 12:50 pm
Fireside Chat with Phil Verster (CEO of Metrolinx) interviewed – Aaron Branston (Main Stage)
1:30 pm to 2:10 pm
Technical Safety Innovations on a Urban Rail Civil Works Project – Boyd McKillican – SYSTRA Canada (Safety Room)
1:30 pm to 2:10 pm
High Frequency Rail (Construction Room)
2:10 pm to 2:50 pm
Overcoming Systems Integration and Systems Assurance Challenges in Project Delivery – Alexandre Desemery – Hatch (Safety Room)
2:10 pm to 2:50 pm
BIM and GIS Case Uses for LRT Projects: Management of Interfaces, System Performance & Final asset – Jeremy Huet – Egis (Construction Room)
2:50 pm to 3:30 pm
Independent Safety Assurance – What Is It and Why Is It Needed? Rail’s Journey to Net-zero – Ben Faulkner – Ricardo (Safety Room)
2:50 pm to 3:30 pm
Why the Industry Has to Adopt Collaborative Contracting for the Delivery of Major Transit Programs – Matt Clark – BTTC (Construction Room)
3:30 pm to 4:10 pm
Kevin Garben, RailWorks (Safety Room)
3:30 pm to 4:10 pm
Andrew Kooiman, Hurontario (Construction Room)
4:10 pm to 4:50 pm
Safety Integrating Complex Railway Systems and What it Means to YOU – Oi Ki Cheung – High Speed Rail Solutions (Safety Room)
4:10 pm to 4:50 pm
Asset Management Software Lessons Learned on Mega Construction Projects – Kyle Booth – Ultegra Systems) (Construction Room)
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Cocktail (Social Area – Hall 5)
Wednesday June 19
10:00 am to 10:40 am
Jim Charboneau‘s Technology Showcase Panel Discussion (Innovation Room)
10:40 am to 11:10 am
Gary Evans – GR-ASP or Graphical Representation (Innovation Room)
10:40 am to 11:10 am
Roadway Worker Protection for Diverse Applications Lidar + AI for Collision Avoidance and Track Intrusion Detection (Operations Stage)
11:10 am to 11:40 am
Joining Rail w/ NO Heat Affected Zone – Paul Cheng, FuseRing Inc (Innovation Room)
11:10 pm to 11:40 am
Delivering Transformative Solutions for Global Track Renewals – Unipart (Operations Stage)
11:40 am to 12:20 pm
Leveraging Data Traffic Management for Optimized Railway Connectivity – Gabriel Lopez Bernal – Icomera (Innovation Room)
11:40 am to 12:20 pm
Richard Catlow – EXP (Operations Stage)
12:20 pm to 1:00 pm
Innovative Use of Drone Technology – Darryl Conway – Stantec (Innovation Room)
12:20 pm to 1:00 pm
Operational Cyber – WGD Consulting (Operations Stage)
3:00 pm to 3:40 pm
Hitachi Ontario Line – Alexander White (Maintenance Stage)
3:00 pm to 3:40 pm
Inspiring the Next Generation – Damon High, Railway Futures (The Human Element Stage)
3:40 pm to 4:20 pm
How Friction Management Improves Asset Life and Increase Safety – Marco Santoro – LB Foster (Maintenance Stage)
3:40 pm to 4:20 pm
Exploring MEng Degree in Railways Engineering – Marjan Alavi, McMaster University (The Human Element Stage)
4:20 pm to 5:00 pm
The Benefits of Rail Lubrication and Friction Modifiers – Mike Deckert – FLO Components (Maintenance Stage)
4:20 pm to 5:00 pm
A New Generation of Leaders – Shabnum Durrani, COMTO (The Human Element Stage)
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
The Importance of National Standards for Transit Rail and TRACCS’ Program’s Progress (The Human Element Stage)
Thursday June 20
9:00 am | Open floor
11:30 am | Keynote
12:00 pm | Barbeque
Several Assignments on a High-speed Line for SYSTRA in Spain
Inside the JV team, Subterra is responsible for the Site Technical office, Geotechnical aspects of the lot (slopes, embankments, foundations, earthworks etc.) and Tunnels.
The section concerned is approximately 15.1km long and will run between the municipalities of Tafalla and Campanas in the autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. The work will be carried out by our client, state-owned railway infrastructure manager ADIF.
The Tafalla – Campanas section is an essential rail link in the ADIF programme, which aims to integrate Navarre into the Spanish high-speed rail network. This project represents a significant success for SYSTRA Subterra and we are delighted that our client has placed its trust in our teams to carry it out.
José Miguel Galera, CEO SYSTRA Subterra
A major national high-speed rail initiative
The Cantabrian-Mediterranean High Speed Railway Corridor is a significant section of Spain’s railway network, intended to connect the Basque Country and the autonomous community of Cantabria with the city of Valencia. It was initially announced in 2004 and later incorporated into Spain’s 2005-2020 Strategic Infrastructure and Transport Plan.
Benefits for the movement of freight and passengers
The project aims to facilitate the transport of freight and significantly reduce passenger travel times. Once operational, the Valencia-Santander route is expected to take just over four hours, compared with the previous journey time of more than 12 hours.
A Tunnel Signed SYSTRA for IstanbulThe Sarıyer and Kilyos districts of Istanbul will soon be accessible via a double bypass road tunnel, the underground infrastructure for which was designed by SYSTRA SWS Türkiye on behalf of construction firm IC Ictas Construction. The latest event to take place was the meeting between the excavation teams for two sections: the excavation face of the north portal left tube and adit tunnel.
I would like to congratulate the teams who have been mobilised to assist IC Ictas Construction. This project has benefited from the quality of SYSTRA SWS Türkiye’s design studies, which we began producing at the beginning of 2022. Two years on, the tunnels are taking shape and we look forward to seeing them completed.
Gokay Caglar Memisoglu, Business Development Manager, SYSTRA SWS Türkiye
For this project, SYSTRA SWS Türkiye carried out the execution studies for the entire motorway section, including structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) studies using BIM (LOD 400*), and is currently providing technical assistance during the construction of the work.
BIM Modelling of the project (with Naviswork):
Two construction methods
The twin-tube tunnels in the project were designed to be bored in two different methods:
- With a 13.75 metre diameter tunnel boring machine (the second widest used in Türkiye) on the south side, which required the excavation of two caverns to assemble the machines. This section has yet to start;
- With the new Austrian method, known as ‘sequential excavation’, which combines drilling by blasting and consolidation by shotcrete.
A better connection
The construction of this new tunnel, scheduled to open in 2026, should cut journey times for motorists while reducing air pollution and noise pollution caused by surface traffic jams. The road network will also provide a direct connection to the Northern Marmara motorway in northern Istanbul, as well as to Istanbul International Airport.
SYSTRA in Türkiye
Present in the country since 2011, SYSTRA employs 125 people in Türkiye and has a leading position in the field of complex infrastructure design, thanks to a dedicated and comprehensive expertise and consultancy offering. The Group, which is located in Ankara and in Istanbul, intends to expand its workforce.
Inauguration of Six New Stations for the Cairo MetroThe third line of the Cairo Metro now reaches the Ring Road, which is being built all around the city. Financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), this extension will serve the Imbaba district, one of the most densely populated in the world with almost 500,000 inhabitants.
Located to the north of the Giza Plateau, this area now benefits from fast, direct access to Cairo’s historic city centre, international airport, and other lines on the network.
We are proud to have reached this new milestone in the development of the Cairo Metro. Every day, almost 4 million passengers use it. For the inhabitants of the Egyptian capital, the metro is the main means of transport. These new stations will help to reduce surface car traffic and make life easier for local residents.
Faiçal Chaabane, Senior Vice President Egypt & North Africa Executive Director
In 2016, SYSTRA was chosen to act as General Consultant for Phase 3 of Line 3 of the Cairo Metro. Our teams were involved in reviewing the execution studies, before supervising the entire worksite, from civil engineering to the installation of systems, in particular the power supply and signalling systems, and the commissioning of the rolling stock.
Working alongside the Cairo Metro since 1970
SYSTRA has been working with the Egyptian authorities on the design and development of their metro system for over half a century. We have provided our services for the design and construction of all the lines in the network, the first metro system to be created on the African continent, which came into service in 1987.
The previous inauguration took place in October 2022, when Line 3 crossed Zamalek Island and reached Kit Kat station.
2023 ENR Rankings: SYSTRA Among the Best Engineering Firms Worldwide in the Transportation FieldBarely a year after entering the TOP 5 of the Bridges category, SYSTRA continues to climb to the very top of the ENR rankings, taking 4th position. The Group’s growth forecast for 2022 is +20% in this segment, equivalent to that of the top company in the ranking.
In the Mass Transit & Rail segment, SYSTRA remains one of the undisputed champions since the creation of the ranking by retaining its 3rd position, just behind WSP and Aecom, with growth 15% higher than that of the category as a whole (+10% for the category).
These excellent results confirm those published in August for the other categories: SYSTRA moved up to 8th position (+1 compared to the 2022 ranking) in the Transportation category and confirmed its entry from the previous year in the top 225 International Design Firms, moving up to 24th position.
The Top Global Sourcebook Release, which the American magazine has just published, is based on international turnover (excluding France for SYSTRA) declared for 2022 by the world’s largest companies in several categories.
Once again, these rankings confirm our international strategy focused on transport engineering. Each year, SYSTRA consolidates its position as one of the world’s leading players in the mobility sector. This renewed success is to the credit of all our teams who, once again this year, have capitalised on our international expertise to win the confidence of our clients. We can be proud of what we have achieved so far and look to the future with determination.
Pierre Verzat, CEO of SYSTRA
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