News

Brazil’s government has announced the investment of US$2 billion for the modernisation and expansion of the subway in Belo Horizonte, one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the capital city of the state of Minas Gerais. The project will be a joint venture between the federal and state governments and the Belo Horizonte municipal government. Works include the construction of new stations and access improvements to existing stations, along with extensions and modernisation of existing lines

The UK Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed the appeals against the HS2 high speed rail line. Following a Court of Appeal ruling in which the government won on all seven areas of challenge, the Court of Appeal gave permission to appeal to the Supreme Court on two grounds: the claim that the government was required to comply with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive, and failed to do so (this ground was led by HS2 Action Alliance, and supported by the Local Authorities and Heathrow Hu

French smart card supplier Ask has been selected by M2M Corporation in Casablanca to upgrade the M’dina Bus ticketing system by providing the contactless cards for the city’s new bus network. M’dina Bus is the main public transportation in Casablanca, with more than 1.5 million passengers a day. The company has installed a centralised system using Ask smart cards based on the CD 21 chip. “The new multi-purpose smart cards are easier to use and more reliable. They also have the potential to provide gr

To address the traffic needs of one of the busiest traffic corridors in the US, TransCore and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission are on schedule to complete another phase of an adaptive traffic control system - just in time for Super Bowl 2014. To improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, TransCore began engineering and installing an adaptive traffic control system at more than 100 intersections throughout the 30-square miles of the Hackensack Meadowlands District.

Adaptis Solutions has implemented its dash park and go ANPR service at London’s North Greenwich underground station car park in close partnership with car park operator NCP. dash is used to provide cashless payments, season tickets and multi ticketing options. The system provides customers with the option to make payments by phone, text, mobile websites, mobile apps and a UK based call centre. The system includes a wi-fi hotspot at the car park to enable quick, easy and secure access to the dash cas

A new study by automotive company Continental finds a clear majority of motorists would welcome automated driving. The Continental Mobility Study 2013 indicates that 79 per cent of drivers in China, 77 per cent in Japan, 53 per cent in Germany, and 50 per cent in the US realise the benefit of automated driving. When asked about their individual intentions for using the technology, drivers specified they would primarily like to be driven through freeway roadworks and congestion and long freeway stretches.

As part of a US$7.2 million E-ZPass system upgrade, the cameras in E-ZPass lanes across New Hampshire are capturing the licence plates of all vehicles as they pass through the lanes. The devices have brighter, more visible LED flashes, and capture front and rear licence plates. The new systems have been installed in E-ZPass toll lanes within the last two months. They feature a better violation detection system and also upgraded technology that ensure vehicles that pass through the tolls match the vehicl

A consultant's report prepared for the Australian Capital Territory ACT) Roads department found that a full-scale rollout of intelligent transportation systems could cost about US$79 million but save US$116 million per year through lower rates of accidents and traffic delays. The government has included plans for a traffic management centre in its infrastructure, to be considered for future budget funding. The centre could eventually be linked to a network of cameras, road weather monitoring stations, v

San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is to trial a ‘smart’ street lighting central management system, (CMS) developed by UK-based smart street lighting company Telensa. The SFPUC owns, operates and maintains over half the city’s street lights and recently announced a project to replace its high pressure sodium cobra-head style light fixtures with ultra-efficient light emitting diodes (LED) luminaires. Telensa’s PLANet (Public Lighting Active Network) street light central management sys

The leading international event for IT solutions in public transport, IT-Trans International Conference and Exhibition, takes place at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre, Karlsruhe, Germany, 18-20 February 2014. Visitors will hear from a series of experienced international experts on a variety of topics, including Ralph Langner, a leading global expert on cyber defence. Exhibitors from 25 countries will display IT products and services for urban mobility, from e-ticketing and passenger information systems

Government, cities, businesses and universities are joining forces to make sure the UK is leading the global race to develop smarter cities. A new forum led by government, will see local authorities and businesses working together to ensure that growth opportunities are not missed in a market estimated to be worth more than US$400 billion globally by 2020. The Smart Cities Forum, co-chaired by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts and Cities Minister Greg Clark, will develop plans to support t

A new report from business information specialist Visiongain has assessed that the value of the global commercial vehicle telematics market will reach US$11.2 billion in 2014. Growth in this market is mainly driven by three factors. Firstly, increasing fuel prices accompanied by strong price competition in logistics create downward pressure on the profit margins of transportation companies and fleet operators and drive them to adopt telematics to sustain profitability and gain competitive advantage. S

Spain’s Isolux Corsán has been awarded a US$100 million contract for the construction of a section of line 3 of the Santiago Metro in Chile. The project, part of the Metro Project, aims to improve the entire underground network in Santiago includes the construction of a 3.7 kilometre tunnel under the Chilean capital and includes the construction of three stations, five circular shafts and two rectangular shafts over a period of 28 months. It is expected to start operating in 2018.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and WTI Frankfurt have announced a new agreement to include 500,000 IET Inspec records on electric vehicles and mobility in the WTI Wissensplattform Elektromobilität (WTI Electric Mobility Knowledge Platform) and TecScan Journals. The initiative is a major boost to sharing knowledge on electric mobility. Richard Hollis, Business Development Director, IET, said: “This agreement furthers the IET’s commitment to making high quality scientific knowledge av

Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) is planning the construction of some 380 kilometres of new roads in 2014, along with a 600 kilometre expansion of the network of roads which will become part of the electronic toll system, viaToll. As a step towards implementing intelligent transportation systems in the country, GDDKiA plans to hire a national traffic management consultant to support it in implementing new projects.