Skip to main content

Cross-border public transport

A recent cross-border study by PTV and transport consultant ProgTrans in the tri-national Eurodistrict Basel (TEB), which has borders with Germany and France, examined ways in which public transport could be strengthened in the region and the need to make the most of mobility options.
September 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A recent cross-border study by 3264 PTV and transport consultant 7501 ProgTrans in the tri-national Eurodistrict Basel (TEB), which has borders with Germany and France, examined ways in which public transport could be strengthened in the region and the need to make the most of mobility options.

Transport experts explored and evaluated a set of measures aimed at providing an alternative to the car and improving the availability and range of public transport options, including connections. New cross-border tram connections and the implementation of parking options for cars and bicycles at suburban railway stations in the region were also included.

In order to give an overview of the cross-border mobility options, traffic counts and surveys were carried out for cross-border traffic. Mobility behaviour relating to households, source and destination traffic for individual motorised traffic and public transport, as well as the use of park and ride (P+R) and bike and ride systems (B+R) was obtained, showing that there are more than 150,000 border crossings per day to Switzerland alone.

"One of the greatest hurdles for the new public transport concept can be identified as the construction of the core components and the implementation of the regional suburban railway network", clarifies project engineer Dr Birgit Dugge.

To verify the effectiveness of measures, an existing transportation forecasting demand model was integrated into a PTV Visum model with updated availability data and information relating to the enquiry to produce a forecast of the effect of the various measures on local transport.

A list of measures was derived from the results, which were likely to have a positive effect on the demand for cross-border public transport. In addition to the predictions, an estimate was carried out regarding future demand for P+R as well as B+R spaces in stations in France and Germany.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Digital twins help city space race
    October 26, 2022
    As the world becomes more urbanised, there is a need to monitor the likely effects this will have on the way we live, says Jeroen Borst of TNO, the Dutch organisation for applied scientific research
  • Asking drivers what information they need: radical but effective
    March 19, 2014
    When Texas A&M Transportation Institute was asked to devise a temporary traveller information system for work zones, it started by asking drivers what they need. Robert Brydia explains the thinking, implementation and results. US Interstate 35 (I-35) runs roughly north–south originating in Laredo, Texas and ends 1,500 miles away in Duluth, Minnesota having passed through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Within Texas the I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W passing through Dallas and Fort Worth respectiv
  • Transition to Shared Mobility: How cities can deliver inclusive transport services
    June 2, 2017
    A new study released by the International Transport Forum (ITF) examines how cities can manage the challenges of geographical scale and transition to shared mobility services.
  • Modelling public transport in the era of intelligent transport systems
    December 16, 2015
    A new textbook, Modelling Public Transport Passenger Flows in the Era of Intelligent Transport Systems, explains for the first time how the effect of ITS technologies on passenger behaviour in public transport can be modelled. The textbook is the result of four years of intensive research and exchange, the results of which were presented and discussed at the TransITS Conference at the end of May. Over 140 participants from research, public transport providers and associations, the software industry and l