Abstract
Colas Rail continues to be the French leader in the rail-track laying business. Its leading role in this business is partly due to its unique ability to deliver turnkey products to its clients. The company has been active in all the spheres of railway business, from building up to the maintenance of the railway system. Colas Rail's activities extend to nearly everything related to the railway industry: engineering, building, cargo, metallurgy, and so on. It also installs power transformers and catenaries by itself.
The company is capable of integrating the whole project, and its clients can therefore rely on it to outsource their investments and maintenance costs. This ability, as well as Colas Rail's technological know-how and innovation, makes it likely to benefit from the rail-track management liberalization that began with railway cargo in 2005. This trend will continue since the European Commission is pushing for liberalization of most of the state monopolies.
However, the rail-track laying market is still a very special market.It is deeply imperfect with huge government power interventionism and protectionism. In some countries, foreign companies constantly face discrimination.
