Skip to main content

Indra to implement smart technology for Ecuador tram system

Indra is to provide the engineering, supply and implementation of tram priority and signage systems, along with access control and ticketing for the new tram system in Cuenca, the third-largest city in Ecuador. The system is currently under construction and is expected to begin operating in June 2016. It will be used by around 120,000 passengers a day, or 39 million a year. The aim is to incorporate the transport mode into the Integrated Mobility System, reduce the current levels of traffic and green
December 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
509 Indra is to provide the engineering, supply and implementation of tram priority and signage systems, along with access control and ticketing for the new tram system in Cuenca, the third-largest city in Ecuador.

The system is currently under construction and is expected to begin operating in June 2016. It will be used by around 120,000 passengers a day, or 39 million a year.

The aim is to incorporate the transport mode into the Integrated Mobility System, reduce the current levels of traffic and greenhouse gas emissions and optimise mobility throughout the historic centre, which in 1999 was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, promoting the use of the tram and discouraging private traffic.

The road and tram signposting systems to be implemented by Indra will enable management of mobility in both the areas the tram passes through and other areas that may be affected by it. Indra will upgrade the current technology in the urban traffic control centre in Cuenca and implement new software that will enable the integrated management, control and optimisation of traffic in the area.

In addition, thanks to a traffic-light priority system that will be integrated with the rest of the Cuenca tram subsystems, the signposting will give priority to the tram over private vehicles, ensuring it adheres to its and encouraging citizens to opt for public transport in line with the planning goals of the municipal government.

Indra will also install its latest-generation contactless ticketing system to enhance the service and information provided to passengers and streamline the control, financial management and tracking of resources.

Passengers can top up contactless cards in automatic ticketing machines to be installed at all the 28 stops along the route and validate them in the access control systems. Public assistance and customisation points will be set up in several cities to include the holders' details and photo on the card along with their user profile.

The solution will also include portable sales and inspection equipment, which will allow card top-ups and sales and the inspection of both contactless cards and one-way tickets intended for occasional passengers.

Related Content

  • May 22, 2012
    Indra implements ITS technology on Mexico’s Guadalajara-Tepic motorways
    The leading road concessionaire in Mexico, Ideal, has awarded Spanish multinational Indra a US$21.67 million contract for implementing its technology in the three motorways that make up what is known as Mexico's South Pacific Package for the amount of €17 million. The project consists of implementing the ITS as well as the tolls and electronic tolls on the motorway that connects the cities of Tepic and Guadalajara, the second most important in Mexico, as well as in the beltways of both cities.
  • February 19, 2014
    Indra scoops South American ticketing contracts
    Spanish ticketing provider Indra has been awarded two new ticketing contracts worth a total of US$7.3 million in South America. For the Sao Paulo subway in Brazil, the company will implement the access control and ticket validation systems for the eleven stations of the Line 5 extension. The systems will simultaneously process and manage magnetic tickets as well as the single ticket contactless cards and the metropolitan area cards, providing intermodality between the subway and buses in the urban and m
  • December 16, 2013
    Smart phones offer smarter way to pay for travel
    David Crawford reviews developments in near field communications for mass transit payments. ‘A carefully-designed and well-implemented mobile near field communications (NFC) solutions can give passengers a compelling experience that will encourage them to make greater use of public transport.’ That was the confident conclusion of a recent joint White Paper drawn up by the International Association of Public Transport and the global mobile operators’ representative group GSMA.
  • May 8, 2014
    Colombia awards major traffic management contract to Indra
    Colombian highway concessionaire Coviandes has awarded Indra the contract, worth nearly US$35 million, for the design, installation and start-up of the intelligent traffic systems (ITS) the control and communications systems for 45 kilometres of the Bogota-Villavicencio highway in Colombia.