News

Australian provider of connected mobility services, Intelematics, has been announced as the latest member of the SmartDeviceLink (SDL) Consortium, joining organisations such as Toyota and Ford in their development of SDL Apps and SDL technologies. Established earlier this year, the Consortium is a non-profit organisation managing the open source platform for the development and adaptation of smartphone apps within vehicle’s dashboard systems. The platform is intended to simplify the app development process

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced a US$900 million federal grant agreement for the Maryland Purple Line Light Rail Project. The light rail line will make travel across Montgomery and Prince George’s counties faster and more reliable, improving access to major business and activity centres in the state’s most populated counties. The 16.2-mile Maryland Purple Line will connect major activity centres in Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma-Langley Park, College

Commenting on the UK Department of Transport announcement regarding trialling of platoons of self-driving lorries on England's motorways, independent road safety charity is advising there must be more reassurances on issues such as cyber attacks as well as basic road safety needs such as telling other drivers which trucks are in the platoon. The trial, due for 2018, will see up to three lorries travel in automated convoys which will be controlled by a driver in the lead vehicle in a bid to cut congestion an

Rail technology supplier Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a contract by London Underground to supply new motors and traction control equipment for its fleet of Central line trains. This contract, which includes ongoing maintenance support, will run until 2024 and is valued by Bombardier Transportation at approximately US$143.7 million (£112.1 million). Bombardier's re-traction project is part of London Underground's larger Central Line Improvement Programme (which aims to bring a number of pas

The New Zealand Transport Agency has launched a free and open Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Marketplace app, Choice, in Queenstown. The app aims to connect users with services through an online marketplace, so they can pick what they want to do, use the live transport information to get to their destination and easily book their journey, all from one application and in three languages. New Zealand’s small size and Queenstown’s popularity over the snow season have been the drivers for the first MaaS Market

The second phase of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit line in Malaysia has entered operation. Mott MacDonald was responsible for the detailed design, modelling and construction supervision of three underground stations and four elevated stations on the line. The 51km line features 31 stations and will serve the 1.2 million residents of the Klang Valley area of Kuala Lumpur. In the capital, there are 9.5km of tunnels with seven underground stations and two portals linking the above ground track t

High-speed open road, cashless tolling is to begin at the Grand Island toll barriers in March of 2018, in an effort to reduce congestion, improve safety, and reduce air pollution according to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. As part of the transition to a more convenient and cost effective way to travel New York's roadways, the Governor is encouraging all commuters to sign up for an E-ZPass and save on tolls across the state, including a five percent discount along the entire 570-mile New York State Th

The first truck platooning trials on UK roads are planned to take place by the end of 2018, Transport Minister Paul Maynard has said. Announcing the US$10 million (£8.1million) government funding for trials today, Maynard said advances such as lorry platooning could benefit businesses through cheaper fuel bills and other road users thanks to lower emissions and less congestion. The platooning trials will see up to three heavy goods vehicles, travelling in convoy, with acceleration and braking controlled by

A new survey by the Global Security & Politics program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) finds that a majority globally (63 per cent) believe that ridesharing services should be regulated similar to taxis. This new data comes at a time when Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing apps continue to expand their products and services to new markets around the world. The survey also points out that the number of those likely to choose ride-sharing over taxi services is notably higher in

Technology services provider Serco has been awarded a new contract to manage the traffic management centre for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Austin District. The contract has a one-year base period and three one-year option periods, and is valued at US$7 million, if all options are exercised. Serco will be responsible for managing the TxDOT freeway operations in Austin's Combined Transportation, Emergency & Communications Centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week and aims to help identify i

Following the implementation of Kapsch TraffiCom’s tri-protocol reader on the Triangle Expressway, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) has become the first agency in the US to read all three US transponder technologies being considered for national interoperability in a tolling environment. In March, The Turnpike Authority and Kapsch signed the contracts to provide automatic vehicle identification equipment for current and future toll projects operated by NCTA. The new equipment maintains current i

The UK’s Tyne Tunnel is experiencing in the areas of traffic management and public safety, following the deployment of new Verint video surveillance software. The Tyne Tunnel comprises two high-volume vehicular toll tunnels running under the River Tyne in north-east England that form part of the A19 road and that are managed by the TT2 agency. TT2 is utilising the latest version of Verint’s enterprise video management software (VMS) in its command centre that provides 24/7 traffic monitoring and emergency m

Swiss manufacturer of non-intrusive traffic and parking detectors ADEC technologies has supplied 100 TDC3-2 (TLS 2+0) overhead traffic detectors for the new control system being installed on the A3 road project in Germany. The contract includes 29 display panels with traffic detection systems. The TDC3 Series is a family of advanced traffic detectors using Doppler radar, ultrasound and passive infrared to provide comprehensive traffic data for each vehicle, including vehicle class, speed, length, occupan

Swiss manufacturer of non-intrusive traffic and parking detectors ADEC technologies has supplied 100 TDC3-2 (TLS 2+0) overhead traffic detectors for the new control system being installed on the A3 road project in Germany. The contract includes 29 display panels with traffic detection systems. The TDC3 Series is a family of advanced traffic detectors using Doppler radar, ultrasound and passive infrared to provide comprehensive traffic data for each vehicle, including vehicle class, speed, length, occupan

Luxembourg has successfully completed the eCall conformity assessment, becoming the first EU Member State to declare its readiness to implement eCall. This assessment was carried out under the umbrella of the EU-funded I_HeERO Project, which aims to conclude the upgrades needed for EU Member States to comply with the legal requirement of preparing for eCall’s launch on 1 October 2017. Luxembourg, an I_HeERO project partner, completed the assessment under the supervision of NavCert, leader of the conformity