Public Transport Victoria tests tram of the future

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is testing a new analytics system on Melbourne's Yarra Trams, a first step toward the tram of the future. The trial is a partnership between PTV, Koelis Downer and Cisco. Launched as a demo for ITSWC, the trial uses cameras and analytics to count the people riding on trams and waiting at tram stops, and calculate typical journey times.
October 11, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Nicolas Gindt (left) of Yarra Trams and Jeroen Weimar of Public Transport Victoria

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is testing a new analytics system on Melbourne's 7525 Yarra Trams, a first step toward the tram of the future. The trial is a partnership between PTV, Koelis Downer and Cisco.

Launched as a demo for ITSWC, the trial uses cameras and analytics to count the people riding on trams and waiting at tram stops, and calculate typical journey times.

The technology is implemented on one tram and at three stops on the main route between the Convention Centre and the Yarra Trams control centre which is hosting a tour for World Congress. For the trial, PTV has deployed 1028 Cisco analytics software that can count riders, and identify both gender and the general age of each rider.

However, the system preserves rider privacy. It only collects general data about ridership, but no data on specific individuals. The cameras are not recording video, and no pictures are saved. Ultimately, the analytics could support the Yarra Trams Tramtracker app, which helps riders make travel decisions. This new technology would enable the app to provide travel information in real time. In addition, the data collected by the system can augment incident management and strategic planning for tram operations.

Jeff Sharp, group manager, technology and innovation, 7203 Downer Group explained the impetus for the project: “We asked the question: If we build a tram of the future, what would it look like?” This project may provide an answer.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ‘How do you connect your dots with their dots?’
    May 24, 2022
    Ahead of the European Congress in Toulouse, Joost Vantomme tells Adam Hill how Ertico-ITS Europe is looking to bring partners together in pursuit of smarter and more sustainable mobility
    Read More
  • America fires V2V starting gun
    April 7, 2014
    Leo McCloskey, ITS America’s senior vice president for Technical Programs, talks to Jason Barnes about what the recent NHTSA ruling on light vehicle connectivity means for cooperative infrastructures in North America. In early February the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it had decided to start taking steps to enable Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication technology for light vehicles. In so doing, the many safety-related applicati
    Read More
  • TM 2.0 boost TMC data feed and driver influence
    November 15, 2017
    TM 2.0 views connected vehicles and V2I as two-way communications channels, benefitting traffic management and drivers, as Alan Dron discovers. As connected vehicles are progressively rolled out there will come a point at which traffic managers and traffic management centres (TMCs) will have to gear up to cope with a rapidly-evolving road scenario. The TM 2.0 Platform (see box) is promoting a concept of new-generation traffic management (which carries the same TM 2.0 title) and is studying how future T
    Read More
  • What can we do as transport professionals to help save the world?! (Or at least try)
    January 18, 2024
    Does ChatGPT have an answer to this question? Yes. Is it the right one? Well, not exactly. What we really need is for transport to support the type of society we want, says Glenn Lyons. And you, as an individual, can make a difference...
    Read More

Highlighted Content