News

US-based B&C Transit has completed a state-of-the-art modernisation of Miami-Dade Transit's (MDT) Metrorail control system to enable MDT to streamline day-to-day operations and improve reliability of the system, while using fully customisable and long-term design solutions. B&C's Nucleus control system software was implemented to provide a single interface to view and control train control, SCADA, traction power, public address, variable message signs, scheduling, elevators, escalators, and other facilit

The Thales Innovation in Hong Kong and its partner the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has been awarded a collaborative R&D project by the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission to develop a big data platform with state-of-the-art technology. This will be used to prototype smart transportation applications, enabling current transportation challenges to be addressed: near real time crowd monitoring, predictive maintenance, etc. The Thales Innovation Hub aims to examine the c

Siemens, as a member of the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) team, has been chosen by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to provide vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology for a new connected vehicle pilot project. Siemens V2I technology will enable vehicles and pedestrians to communicate with traffic infrastructure like intersections and traffic lights in real-time to reduce congestion specifically during peak rush hour in downtown Tampa. The technology will also help improve s

Essener Verkehrs (EVAG) is to pilot Cubic Transportation Systems’ (CTS) NextAgent virtual ticketing solution with its regional commuters at the central station in Essen, Germany. NextAgent delivers the functionality of a staffed ticket office, including vending a comprehensive range of media such as smart cards, magnetic tickets, paper barcodes, e-ticketing and mobile ticketing. NextAgent’s integrated camera and document scanning enables photos and other personal documents to be verified. Live video lets cu

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has announced the publication of the complete set of updated oneM2M Release 1 specifications, the global standards initiative for machine-to-machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Each oneM2M partner standards body publishes the complete set of oneM2M specifications as its own local specifications, ensuring there is one global set of specifications, recognised in each region. ETSI says these specifications show a development that promise

Hosted by ITS Australia in partnership with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, the ITS Summit on Connected Autonomy in Smart Cities takes place on 23-24 May at the Queensland University of Technology. The growing international focus on smart cities where transport, utilities and healthcare communicate with each other to allow coordination and reduce waste, is a key driver for the provision of intelligent infrastructure across the road network. Such initiatives are being actively pursu

The US Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has announced US$60 million in grants to fund cutting-edge transportation improvement technologies that will improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment. The new program, Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program (ATCMTD), is aimed at addressing the concerns outlined in Beyond Traffic, the USDOT report issued last year that examines the c

A zero-emission LED street light which its Danish developer, Scotia, claims eliminates electricity costs and feed energy back into the grid has been installed in a car park in Copenhagen for seven years and, says have consistently produced five per cent above their initially predicted yield, with no fall-off. Commissioned by the Danish Government and the United Nations as examples of future zero-emission street lighting for the COP 15 Conference on Climate Change which was held there in December 2009,

According to TomTom’s latest Traffic Index, traffic congestion has increased 13 per cent globally since 2008. But there are big differences between continents; while North America’s traffic congestion has jumped by 17 per cent, Europe has risen just two per cent. TomTom believe the contrasts probably are driven by economic growth in North America and financial troubles in the many parts of Europe. In particular, some countries have recorded a marked drop in traffic over the past eight years, including It

Formula 1 technology could soon make family cars lighter, improve fuel efficiency and help plug-in vehicles go further - after an innovative research project won a share of a US$54.6 million (£38.2 million) UK government prize. The project is one of more than 130 car manufacturers, technology companies and research centres across the country to have won a share of the money, announced in the Budget, which will create hi-tech jobs and help Britain become a global leader in exporting state of the art, emis

WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff is to develop a transportation improvement strategy (TIS) to address existing congestion and physical/geometrical issues as well as projected future development on the North Shore of Staten Island. The study, which emerges from the recommendations developed as part of the North Shore 2030 Plan, will be carried out on behalf of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York City Department of City Planning and the New York City Department of Transportation. The s

Vehicle safety innovations are still benefitting too few road users in Europe due to an over-reliance on a voluntary testing programme rather than regulatory standards, according to a new report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). For almost twenty years, increases in levels of car safety in Europe have been driven mainly by the voluntary Euro NCAP programme which awards the safest cars with a 5-star rating. But according to new data, only around half of new vehicles sold in 2013 had been aw

As part of Taiwan’s Ministry of Transport and Communications’ initiative to respond to the need for wider interoperability, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation, which operates the concession for the metro network in Taipei, has opted for Thales’s fare collection solution, to be rolled out progressively throughout 2016. The upgrade covers the entire metro network, including more than 1,500 fare gates across 120 stations, with a daily flow of over 1.97 million passengers. The Thales solution includes the

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) in the US has awarded International Road Dynamics (IRD) a US$2,623,703 contract to supply and install a two-sided mainline weigh-in-motion (WIM) and electronic pre-clearance system on Interstate 15 at the Inkom Port of Entry. The contract includes a two-year equipment, software, and database maintenance provision to commence upon completion of the system's installation. This system will weigh and measure commercial vehicles at highway speeds upstream of the weigh

Skanska has been awarded a contract worth about US$47.96 million by the Swedish Transport Administration for the expansion of Mälarbanan (Malar Line) between Spånga and Barkarby, north of Stockholm. The turnkey project includes the expansion of Mälarbanan from two to four tracks on a three-kilometre section as well as a new platform. Commuter trains will have two separate tracks, while other trains will pass freely on the two outer tracks. Construction start of preparatory work is planned for the su