A UBIFRANCE delegation recently spent a week exchanging with public transit and rail executives in the Northeast corridor. From April 23 – 26, representatives of market-leading French-based companies including Bureau Veritas, ROV Developpement, Oktal, SNCF Voyages, Fimor, STRAEN, Oxand and Texelis met with the Federal Railroad Administration , engineering firm Parsons , Amtrak , the New Jersey Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority . The companies also met over 20 potential business partners during a networking reception at the French Embassy and personalized B-to-B meetings. The delegation headed back to France highly satisfied with the contacts generated during the week, and eager to pursue business with these future American partners and clients.

  UBIFRANCE – The French Trade Commission will lead a rail and public transportation trade mission to the U.S.’s Northeast Corridor, specifically Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City April 23 – 26, 2012. The delegation of leading France-based rail companies will meet planning, engineering and procurement executives from public transportation authorities and private sector firms. The delegation will learn more about future opportunities and exchange best practices with executives from the Federal Railroad Administration and the following agencies: Amtrak , the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , and the New Jersey Transit . The delegation will also meet rail and transit executives from Parsons , one of the world’s premier transportation engineering firms, during a meeting at the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. These innovative French companies are visiting the Northeast Corridor, which refers to the area between Washington, D.C. and Boston, as it is the most dense area of rail and public transit in the entire U.S., with nearly 260 million annual passengers. In May 2011, the region received nearly $800 million in federal funding to improve the rail infrastructure, thus opening the door for new projects to start. Amtrak has plans not only to improve the existing infrastructure to speed the trains, but hopes to eventually construct new rail infrastructure in parts of the corridor in order to offer truly high-speed rail. In addition to learning about Amtrak’s visions for the area, the group will visit the maintenance facility of the New Jersey Transit, and learn about the MTA’s big project (called East Side Access) to connect the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Station. In addition to meetings with Parsons and the public agencies, UBIFRANCE has organized two networking opportunities, in Washington, D.C. and New York City. To kick off the trade mission, a reception will be held at the French Embassy in Washington D.C. April 23, during which the delegation can meet executives from the Washington metro, the WMATA , and other public and private sector rail and transit professionals. The second networking event will be at the UBIFRANCE office in New York City, where UBIFRANCE has organized one-on-one business-to-business meetings between the delegation and private transportation firms such as RATP Dev , AECOM, KS Engineering , Systra USA, IEI Transit and EIC Associates. The companies participating in the mission offer various products and services related to rail, and include Bureau Veritas , Fimor , Oktal , Oxand, SNCF Voyages , ROV Développement, STRAEN , and Texelis . Follow us on Twitter for up to date information. And for further information, please contact us.

  UBIFRANCE – the French Trade Commission is bringing a delegation of leading French companies working in the rail sector, specifically rail infrastructure, to the Northeast Corridor . The group will go to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York from April 23 – 26. The companies will meet public authorities to discuss numerous projects, recently funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation concerning inspection, maintenance and repair of rail infrastructure in the Northeast. The group will sit down with decision-makers from the Federal Railroad Administration , Amtrak , New Jersey Transit and New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to learn about what projects are in the pipeline in the near future. A networking reception will be held in Washington, D.C. the evening of April 23, during which the French professionals can meet American professionals to exchange best practices and look for opportunities to work together. A second opportunity to bring together French and American professionals will be B to B meetings held in New York on April 26. During this ‘’speed dating’’ – esque meeting, each French company will meet one-on-one with four to five American companies. American firms working on rail infrastructure projects are encouraged to participate in both the reception and B to B meetings. France prides itself on its world-class rail and urban transit networks. The French companies in this delegation bring to the table innovative technology and services not always found in the U.S., as France has a proud tradition of creating and maintaining a rail infrastructure second to none. Thanks to massive government subsidies for research and development at French engineering universities and research centers, the country’s expertise in rail and public transit is recognized and respected throughout the world.  The trade mission is still open to French companies (or their U.S. subsidiaries) interested in joining the delegation and American firms interested to meet the group. Please contact Rachel.kurowski@ubifrance.fr if you would like to take part in this dynamic trade mission to create relationships between the French and American experts in this sector. Join us on April 23-26!  

Third day today for the rail and urban transit delegation at Caltrain (San Francisco Bay Area Commuter Rail). The delegation was in Seattle earlier this week and is now in the San Francisco Bay Area until tomorrow. Contact us for more information.    

REMINDER! From June, 7 to 10, 2011, Ubifrance – French Trade Commission is bringing a French delegation to the West Coast. They will be travelling to Seattle and San Francisco Bay Area. They will meet with transportation companies - Talgo, Alstom Train life Service and Caltrain - and federal agencies for transportation - King County Metro Transit, the Sound Transit, the BART, the VTA, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Transbay Joint Powers Authority .    For more information, contact us .

UBIFRANCE – The French Trade Commission is preparing for its July 2011 trade mission to Washington DC and New York City, themed "inspection, maintenance and repair of U.S. infrastructure." In light of recent U.S. government plans to invest heavily in the nation’s infrastructure, Ubifrance-USA is bringing a delegation of leading French companies who are interested in the U.S. market to meet with federal and NYC-area transportation infrastructure officials and professionals.   The trade mission kicks off in Washington DC, where the French delegation will meet with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration. The group will head northward via Amtrak’s Acela Express to New York City, where the delegation will hear from Antoine Guillaud, a Frenchman living in the U.S., whose company International Management Solutions helps European companies with administrative aspects of working in the U.S. The delegation will then meet with the Departments of Transportation for New York City and New York State as well as the Port Authority (responsible for area bridges, airports, tunnels and ports) to learn about upcoming contracts. To view up close American techniques on inspection, maintenance and repair, the group will visit NYC-area construction sites, including the Kew Gardens Interchange in Queens and the Manhattan Bridge. Finally, a session of B2B meetings with top U.S. engineering firms and contractors is planned to help the French companies find potential American business partners,   We hope that the exchanges during this mission will bring about fruitful conversations and an exchange of ideas on both countries’ best practices and latest innovations and technologies to solve tomorrow’s infrastructure challenges. Among the 10 French companies attending are SNCTP, IOA Groupe, Sonats and Oxand.   For more information or if you would like to join us on July 5 – 8, please contact us .   

UBIFRANCE - French Trade Commission is organizing a new trade mission on the theme of urban mobility . A delegation of innovative companies from France will be on hand to discuss advances in the field and interact with Seattle and San Francisco Bay Area transit and planning officials and professionals to explore the track that lies ahead. Since the mid-70s, France has developed a considerable program of urban transit networks and systems for its main metropolitan areas. The French transport industry is successfully developing a large range of different urban transport systems, making it an acknowledged leader in the world of urban transport. France has innovative transportation ideas such as the Vélib’ bike-sharing program in Paris and also has 30 years of experience in high-speed rail, being one of the world leaders in its design, technology and operation. Today there are approximately 240 urban transport networks, which serve populations varying from 10,000 to 10 million inhabitants. French companies are innovators in designing and operating efficient, profitable and user-friendly Bus Rapid Transit, light rail and commuter rail networks. The Seattle and San Francisco regions offer many opportunities for urban transit and rail as several new lines and extensions are under construction and many more are planned. The West Coast is on the leading edge when it comes to conceptualizing, funding and implementing mobility solutions. This trade mission is the chance to move forward together and implement even better transportation options for the public. The delegation will meet the transportation agencies and leading companies in both areas. The objective is to showcase the best that France has to offer as well as to view and learn about the latest mobility projects in the US. Join us on June 7-10! As of now, the following companies will be part of the delegation: TickenGO, Oktal, Systra Consulting, Alstom Transportation, Tracetel, Corys Tess and Ms Relais. For more information, contact us .