Alstom Petite-Forêt, Valenciennes
| Company type | Société Anonyme |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway rolling stock manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Founder | Charles Evrard |
| Defunct | 1982 (acquired by Alstom) |
| Fate | Acquired by Alstom |
| Successor | Alstom Valenciennes |
| Headquarters | Raismes , France / Belgium |
Area served | Europe, Asia, Africa, South America |
Key people | Charles Evrard (founder and director) |
| Products | Locomotives, passenger coaches, freight wagons, metros, trams, double-decker trains |
Number of employees | 1,350 (Alstom subsidiary in 2009) |
| Parent | Alstom (from 1982) |
The Société Franco-Belge was a Franco-Belgian engineering company focused on manufacturing railway vehicles and related components. It began in 1859 as the Belgian Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer, founded by Charles Evrard. In 1881, the firm expanded and became Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer, establishing a production facility in Raismes, France.
In 1927, the enterprise divided into two entities: the Belgian Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (SAFB) and the French Société Franco-Belge. Throughout both World Wars, its factories were repurposed—operating as a sawmill during WWI and manufacturing Kriegslokomotives during WWII. SAFB merged with Ateliers Germain in 1964 but ultimately closed in 1968 due to shrinking demand.
The French branch of Franco-Belge was acquired by Alstom in 1982. By 2012, the Alstom Petite-Forêt, Valenciennes facility functioned as an Alstom subsidiary specializing in metros, trams, and double-decker trains. A testing track known as the Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire is situated near the Raismes factory.
History
In 1859, Charles Evrard combined Parmentier Freres et Cie. with Ateliers Charles Evrard to create the Compagnie Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériels de Chemins de Fer (established in 1862), with an initial capital of one million francs. Evrard took on the role of director. At the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle, the company displayed locomotives, passenger coaches, iron freight wagons, and steam-powered rail cranes.
By 1881, operations at the Brussels plant ceased and equipment was relocated to reduce urban pollution. The Société Anonyme Franco-Belge pour la Construction de Machines et de Matériel de Chemins de Fer was formed with a capital of eight million francs, supported by Banque franco-égyptienne investments. A new factory in Raismes provided access to the French market despite protectionist barriers; initially, it assembled components manufactured in Belgium. The firm produced a wide range of rolling stock. Charles Evrard passed away in 1896.
In 1911, the company was renamed Société Franco Belge de Matérial de Chemins de Fer and manufactured locomotives, carriages, and specialized freight wagons for both Belgian and French railways. It also exported products to Spain, Portugal, various European countries, China, Turkey, Indochina, Africa, and South America.
Up until 1914, the board was predominantly Belgian; after that year, majority ownership transitioned to French investors primarily based in Paris. The company's production capacity included approximately 50 locomotives and over 1,500 carriages and wagons annually. During WWI under German occupation, the Raismes facility resisted orders to perform repair work and instead operated as a sawmill.
Following WWI, in 1927 the French and Belgian operations separated: the Belgian site became Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (SAFB), receiving British investment and concentrating on fabricating metal and wooden transportation equipment; meanwhile, the French business continued as Société Franco-Belge.
Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (1927-64)
In 1939, SAFB expanded by acquiring two metalworking plants located in Seneffe and Godarville (Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont), both situated in Hainaut, Belgium. During WWII occupation, the company produced more than 100 locomotives for the Deutsche Reichsbahn and carried out repair tasks. The managing director, Gilbert Bostsarron, participated in the French resistance, organizing allied attacks on the factory; he was arrested and executed in 1944.
After the war, SAFB encountered financial challenges partly due to competition from American manufacturers that eroded export markets. In the 1950s, it built diesel locomotives powered by Electro-Motive Diesel engines for Belgian railways (NMBS/SNCB classes 52, 53, 54) and Luxembourg (CFL class 800 and class 1600). Additionally, it delivered Israel Railways’ first diesel locomotives in 1952 featuring an EMD-powered Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement.
In 1964, SAFB merged with S.A. des Ateliers Germain, a manufacturer of road and rail vehicles based in Monceau-sur-Sambre, forming Etablissements Germain-Anglo. By 1967, facing a lack of orders that threatened its survival, the company laid off workers leading to a strike that attracted national attention. Intervention by Prime Minister Paul Vanden Boeynants resulted in temporary measures such as staff redeployment and new contracts. Despite these efforts, Germain-Anglo ceased operations in February 1968.
In 1969, developer Société Frabelmar purchased the La Croyère plant site and constructed a hypermarket along with leisure facilities that opened in December 1970.
Société Franco-Belge (1927–1981)
During the 1930s, the Franco-Belge facility located in Raismes produced high-speed 4-6-2+2-6-4 'Garratt' locomotives, designed by Beyer, Peacock & Company, reaching speeds up to , specifically for the Algerian railway market. Additionally, the company constructed carriages for Emperor Haile Selassie's imperial train in Ethiopia. Franco-Belge continued to serve as a subcontractor for Beyer, Peacock & Company well into the 1950s. In the early 1950s, it delivered over eighty Indian Railways WG class 2-8-2 steam locomotives prior to the expansion of production capabilities at India’s Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.
Throughout the 1970s, Société Franco-Belge manufactured several hundred Corail passenger coaches for SNCF. Toward the end of that decade, the company secured a major contract to supply 118 aluminium CQ310 metro cars for Atlanta's Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) subway system in the United States.
By 1982, operating under the name Soferval-franco-belge (Société ferroviaire du Valenciennes), financial challenges and ineffective management led to its acquisition by Alstom.
Alstom Valenciennes
Following its acquisition by Alstom, the Raismes manufacturing site became known as Alstom Petite-Forêt, Alstom Valenciennes, or Alstom Valenciennes Petite-Forêt (VPF).
Next to the factory lies the Centre d'Essais Ferroviaire, a rail testing facility established in the early 2000s and majority-owned by Alstom (61% as of 2012). Completed in 1999, this center features a 2.75 km track designed for testing speeds up to 100 km/h, a 1.85 km circuit intended for endurance trials at 80 km/h, and an S-shaped loop dedicated to evaluating automatic control systems. The industrial complex also accommodates multiple engineering firms.
By 2009, the plant had secured production orders extending through 2016 and employed approximately 1,350 personnel. Major contracts included manufacturing metro and train units for the RATP and RER networks in Paris, awarded through partnerships involving Bombardier Transportation. The RER contract was valued at €917 million, with Alstom’s share amounting to €640 million. The facility specializes within the Alstom group in designing and assembling metro trains, trams, and double-decker railcars.
In late 2015, this site was tasked with building 90 Bmx driving motor vehicles as part of a €1.3 billion contract granted to an Alstom/Bombardier consortium for delivering 445 M7 double-deck passenger cars to the SNCB.
See also
- ANF Industrie, a Bombardier Inc. subsidiary since 2012 based in Crespin, Arrondissement of Valenciennes, northern France