{"id":6126,"date":"2024-06-30T13:08:46","date_gmt":"2024-06-30T11:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sci4gi.mediassociations.fr\/interview\/raissa-irakoze-building-the-railway-network-of-tomorrow\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T18:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T16:44:07","slug":"raissa-irakoze-building-the-railway-network-of-tomorrow","status":"publish","type":"interview","link":"https:\/\/sciencesforgirls.com\/en\/interview\/raissa-irakoze-building-the-railway-network-of-tomorrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Ra\u00efssa IRAKOZE: Building the Railway Network of Tomorrow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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My name is Ra\u00efssa “Sweet” IRAKOZE, I’m 27 years old. I was born and raised in Rwanda. I came to France in 2015 for my higher education. Today, I am a Project Study Manager for IDF at SNCF R\u00e9seau, where I have been working for almost 2 years.<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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My Missions<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The role of a Project Study Manager (CDPE) is to lead, coordinate, and monitor several actors to meet a client’s needs (called General Project Manager (MOEG)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The CDPE ensures the feasibility of the project with the GMs, and together we define the documents that will be necessary for the project’s realization. Then the CDPE establishes a schedule, \u201cwhich she presents to the client with a quote (cost of studies). Once validated by the client, the CDPE must e\u201d nsure that the GMs respect the schedule, avoid exceeding the announced costs, and verify the quality of the deliverables provided by the business groups.<\/div>\n
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The CDPE is the link between the requester “the MOEG” and the Study production. They will play the role of conductor to advance activities while respecting deadlines, quality, and costs. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the transport sector, the CDPE receives, for example, a request for modernization of railway tracks, creation of stations, or creation of new transport lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Their role is to gather all necessary information, listen to the client, and understand their request.<\/div>\n
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Once the need is defined, the CDPE turns to the different teams called Business Groups (GM): these are specialists in producing the documents necessary for the execution of the work.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A Concrete Example<\/span><\/h2>\n

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The Mayor of a village located between 2 large cities, with stations served by a regional express train (TER), wishes to build a station to serve their village, which has several inhabitants who need a TER to quickly reach neighboring cities.<\/div>\n
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To carry out the construction work for this station, feasibility studies as well as execution studies are needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Mayor assembles a general project management team (MOEG), which will carry out the construction work for this station. This MOEG approaches our company and makes a request for \u201cstudies regarding their needs.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The CDPE receives this request, contacts the MOEG, and listens to their needs. The CDPE asks for the input data (measurements of the site where the station will be built, local particularities to know, topographic surveys, etc.) that they will need to start the feasibility study. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Through a report, the CDPE validates the client’s needs with the MOEG. Once validated, the CDPE presents the project to the studies department, and together they establish a schedule to carry out the studies. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The CDPE organizes a site visit where the construction will take place.<\/div>\n
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Then begins the production of studies, drafting of notices detailing the work and recommendations to follow, estimates of work costs, production of plans, list of materials that will be necessary, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As deliverables are completed, the CDPE organizes presentations of these deliverables to the MOEG. And at the end, a compilation of a file containing all approved deliverables is handed over to the MOEG so they can build the station they want. This entire process can take more than 2 years! <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My Educational Background<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
As mentioned in the introduction at the beginning, I grew up in Rwanda where I completed my schooling until the end of high school. I attended a traditional primary school in Rwanda, then started middle school in a convent school in Kigali.<\/div>\n
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In middle school, my parents decided to enroll me in the French school Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry in Kigali, where I followed a French brevet + baccalaureate curriculum through CNED.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I<\/span>n 2015, I obtained a Scientific Baccalaureate, specializing in Physics and Chemistry.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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From September 2015 to 2018, I started university at the Faculty of Grenoble (formerly Universit\u00e9 Joseph Fourier) where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To validate my degree, I completed a 6-month internship on a project to carry out a reconnaissance work, to see if it’s possible to build a railway under the Alps (creation of the Lyon-Turin railway line)<\/em>; it’s thanks to this project that I discovered the railway world which \u201cwas completely unknown to me at the\u201d time.<\/div>\n
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From September 2018 to January 2021, I completed a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering with two specializations, one in structural engineering and another in construction in seismic zones. At the end of the master’s program, I \u201ccompleted an internship on an airport construction project\u201d.<\/div>\n
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In September 2021, I \u201cwas hired by an engineering consulting firm to become a consultant. My first assignment was at SNCF, where I\u201d was recruited as a consultant engineer with the role of Data Acquisition Manager. I worked closely with the CDPEs, and I \u201creally enjoyed their job. The external interactions, managing client relationships, the feeling of being part of a\u201d team that makes things happen. All of this \u201cattracted me, and when the opportunity\u201d \u201carose, I\u201d applied for the position. I \u201cwent through the interviews and entrance exams\u201d, and to my great joy, I \u201cpassed everything and\u201d was hired internally in September 2022 for the CDPE position. <\/span><\/div>\n
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I wouldn’t say this job was my primary goal; in fact, after graduating, I \u201cwasn’t very sure about the role I wanted to occupy in the working world. I\u201d wasn’t confident about myself and the choices available to me. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

However, I did have criteria for my job:<\/div>\n
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