The paper reviews the development of electric railway traction in France since 1900, and gives an account of the effect of the Government recommendations during the coal crisis following the First World War.The position of electrification at the outbreak of the Second World War is summarized, and this is followed by the technical reconstruction and re-equipment programme drawn up by the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais.Particulars are given as to the physical nature of the electrified lines and the classes of traffic operating over them, together with a description of the method of power generation and distribution and details as to the spacing of the substations and the equipment installed.Other Sections are devoted to details of the various classes of electric locomotive and rail-car in service and to the factors which have contributed to their development.The paper also describes experiments which are being made in the use of a single-phase 50-c/s supply, and the problems which it presents, and gives particulars of three experimental locomotives which are being built for operation on this system.Finally, some operational statistics and a description of the latest S.N.C.F. express electric locomotive No. 7001 are given in an appendix.