First testing of the slab track railway infrastructure Unveiled at the 2022 InnoTrans show, slab track is an innovation developed and patented by SYSTRA and Stradal. It has been in use since June 2023 on a section of track in the Marseille Grand Port Maritime (France). This new ballastless track will be used to convert existing ballasted track and build new lines. This solution, the only one of its kind, can withstand climate change and does not damage the environment – it is made using low-carbon reinforced concrete. Since it is raised 10 centimetres off the ground, water can flow away under the track in the event of flood, small animals can pass beneath it and there is less risk of sand build-up in desert regions. Developing concrete for sustainable infrastructure In India, SYSTRA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Development Foundation (IITRDF) to work jointly on developing ultra-high- performance concrete (UHPC). The collaboration between these two entities will seek to optimise the application of Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) within the framework of sustainable infrastructure projects. This ultra-high- performance concrete is better able to withstand aggressive environmental agents – such as chlorides and acid rain – than Preparing for change traditional concrete, and will make infrastructure more resilient. in public transport systems The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and SYSTRA are involved in several initiatives to reduce the impact of public transport systems on the environment, and to ensure that they are able to withstand climate change. Two reports and guides on these subjects have already been published to inform decision- makers and promote discussion among the sector’s stakeholders. Both entities have also commenced work on the 2030 eBRT project, which is financed by the European Commission and designed to prepare for the arrival of a new generation of high- level service electric buses. A technology that is already in use in Dakar, where an 18.3 kilometres eBRT has just been inaugurated. It will help the Senegalese capital to prevent 59,000 tCO2eq from being emitted. The network’s 158 buses have a range of 250 kilometres and can carry up to 300,000 passengers per day – with significant benefits to traffic congestion and air quality. 2023 Activity Report 29 Bus Rapid TransitIn Senegal, Dakar troP dnarG ,ecnarF nIelliesraM ni emitiraM locotorp eht fo gningis ,aidnI nI3202rebmevoN 8 no