When Morgane joined RATP, she started working at the Massy preventive maintenance workshop on RER line B as an unqualified worker. Six months of internal training allowed her to become a mechanic: “The process is highly conducive to success, I really was well supported.”
She then joined the Place d’Italie workshop maintenance team: “I worked for metro line 6 on MP73 trains dating from 1973. It was hard, but also a great learning experience.”
She became a technician through night classes and then joined the teams in charge of maintenance for RER line A trains at the Sucy-en-Brie workshop. “We always work in pairs” Morgane explains. “Following the diagnostic phase, we repair a wide range of equipments: lights, pantographs, heating and air conditioning, among others. You learn something every day, it’s fascinating work.” On the very busy line, the key priority is to be efficient and reactive. Morgane is most proud of “contributing to ensuring continuous service on RER line A, the busiest line in Europe.”
Photos taken before the health crisis.
Continuous improvement
Every morning, Morgane and her colleagues start their day with a brief 15-minute meeting. Its purpose is to address pending tasks and signal potential sticking points. The initiative allows for continuous maintenance improvement as part of the operational excellence plan.
A digitising job
In addition to the traditional multimeter and oscilloscopes, Morgane can access data from the many sensors installed in each train, as well as their history, by connecting directly to the trains through her laptop. A valuable diagnostic tool! The software used helps visualise the state of the rolling stock fleet, when all trains have Wi-Fi coverage and can share data. It is being trialled in all train maintenance workshops for RER line A.
Are you interested in working in maintenance?
The maintenance department is recruiting! Many new maintenance hires are planned in 2021 to support the extension of the network and anticipate retirements. From unqualified workers to senior technicians and engineers, all profiles are welcome to cover a wide array of professions such as electro-mechanical engineer, welder, boilermaker, electronics technician... RATP is ramping up its initiatives to increase the visibility of its job advertisements through partnerships with Pôle Emploi, presentations in high schools, attending job fairs, and, more recently, through “job dating”. Word of mouth is also a great way to recruit, so spread the word!
Click here to see our job advertisements.