Skip to main content

NODES toolbox ‘offers keys to better transport interchanges’

The three-year NODES (New Tools for the Design and Operation of Urban Transport Interchanges) project has came to a close and the project findings are said to offer transport practitioners practical steps to build better interchanges. Co-funded by the Seventh Framework Programme and co-ordinated by International Association of Public Transport (UITP), NODES brings together 17 partners representing local government administrations, public transport operators, as well as research centres and European assoc
September 24, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The three-year NODES (New Tools for the Design and Operation of Urban Transport Interchanges) project has came to a close and the project findings are said to offer transport practitioners practical steps to build better interchanges.

Co-funded by the Seventh Framework Programme and co-ordinated by 3833 International Association of Public Transport (UITP), NODES brings together 17 partners representing local government administrations, public transport operators, as well as research centres and European associations.

Interchanges play a key role in the integration of urban mobility systems and allowing smooth connections between different transport modes. The key achievements of the NODES project were the development of a toolbox to help practitioners assess and benchmark the performance of their interchange as well as to take practical steps to increase performance. The Toolbox focuses on five key areas: land use and infrastructure; design; intermodality and ICT; management and business models; and energy and environment.           

In practical terms, practitioners can more easily identify the design needs and facility requirements in an interchange thanks to the Typology Diagrammatic Representation tool. Another tool includes practical steps that can be taken to improve the experience of users in an interchange (the ‘station experience monitor), developed by Nederlandse Spoorwegen and tested in nine NODES test sites.

The aim of the research project was to help European cities in the design or operation of new or upgraded interchanges in order to boost user satisfaction. The Toolbox was tested in real conditions in nine European sites, all of which were undergoing substantial development and upgrading: Reading, Birmingham, Rouen, Toulouse, Osnabrück, Budapest, Rome, Thessaloniki, and Rotterdam, Utrecht and ‘s-Hertogenbosch (as one site).
   
UITP Secretary General Alain Flausch said: “By providing practical steps to improve stations, the NODES project makes an essential contribution towards a more enjoyable public transport experience”.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Indra integrates expertise in UITP agreement to improve mobility
    February 8, 2018
    Indra has joined the International Union of Public Transport (UITP), with the intention of using its technology and experience to improve urban and interurban mobility. The adhesion agreement was signed in Brussels by Berta Barrero, head of transportation department at Indra, Pere Calvet, president of the UITP, and Mohamed Mezghani, general secretary of the association.
  • Estonia adopts digital transport model
    January 25, 2022
    Model is expected to incorporate continuously updated data for 130,000 road sections
  • Glasgow finalises its mobility-shift strategy
    February 14, 2024
    Scottish city wants 'far more sustainable and equitable modes' than the private car
  • Jaguar uses PTV microsimulation tool for C/AV concepts
    April 10, 2019
    Jaguar Land Rover is using PTV’s Vissim, a multi-modal microsimulation tool to simulate and test connected and automated vehicle (C/AV) concepts. Vissim can be used for the modelling of multi-modal urban or motorway networks and for testing the design and feasibility of transport infrastructure projects. It can also be used by researchers, vehicle manufacturers, transport planners, traffic engineers and public authorities to help design future transport systems, testing the impact of C/AVs on road network