Siemens announces TfL deal

Siemens has announced a deal with Transport for London (TfL) which will see the German company create a real-time optimiser (RTO) for traffic control in the UK capital. Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens, said: “We are developing the most modern adaptive traffic control system on Earth.” The RTO will sit in London’s Surface Intelligent Transport System (SITS) and will help “really make London a much more liveable city”, Schlitt added. It is designed to optimise traffic signals b
March 21, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
189 Siemens has announced a deal with Transport for London (TfL) which will see the German company create a real-time optimiser (RTO) for traffic control in the UK capital.


Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens, said: “We are developing the most modern adaptive traffic control system on Earth.” The RTO will sit in London’s Surface Intelligent Transport System (SITS) and will help “really make London a much more liveable city”, Schlitt added.

It is designed to optimise traffic signals by processing data from existing detectors and handling information from other sources such as mobile phones, in a move to aid traffic flow and reduce pollution. The move is aimed at delivering Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s Healthy Streets for London plan, which mandates that 80% of travel will be by sustainable modes by 2041.

While the contract has not been formally signed, there is an “agreement to proceed”, Glynn Barton, director of network management at TfL, told The Daily News. Priorities from the deal will be to make the system as reliable – or more so – than it is now, and to meet the Healthy Streets agenda, he added. The agreement with Siemens lasts for 10 years. “After that, we’ll see where we are,” said Barton. Siemens plans to roll out a similar solution to other mega-cities in the future.

STOP PRESS

As The Daily News went to press, Siemens revealed that it plans to buy Spanish software company Aimsun and the deal is expected to go through by the end of April this year. “This is important for our digitalisation strategy,” said Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens. “It is closing a portfolio gap.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mayor’s plans for London’s road network step up a gear
    February 10, 2015
    The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has revealed further details of plans to deliver his bold vision for the future of London’s road network, aimed at reducing congestion, creating new public spaces and encouraging more people to walk and cycle. The Mayor unveiled proposals to redesign a number of key road networks in the capital in order to unlock growth and make the capital a more attractive place to live and work.
    Read More
  • Siemens to acquire public transportation, mobility software company
    April 28, 2017
    Siemens is planning to acquire German company HaCon, which provides planning, scheduling and information systems for public transportation, mobility and logistics. Trip planning software from HaCon is used in more than 25 countries and comprises the centre piece of the travel information systems in operation at more than 100 transport companies and associations.
    Read More
  • Emissions reductions targets to have major impact on transport
    October 28, 2015
    As bold moves aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been introduced in California, David Crawford looks at the ramifications for transportation. California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent dramatic raising of the bar on emissions reduction policy for the state has won him praise from Japan, Australia, Europe and the secretariat of the critical UN conference on climate change being held in Paris in November/December 2015. His April 2015 executive order aimed at bringing emissions to 40% below 1990 lev
    Read More
  • TfL under pressure as motorcycle deaths rise
    March 8, 2016
    According to a recent report by the London Assembly Transport Committee report into motorcycle safety, Easy Rider: Improving motorcycle safety on London roads, around 17 per cent of those injured on London’s roads and 24 per cent of serious casualties are motorcyclists, despite this mode accounting for one percent of traffic. After a period of decline it appears the number of motorcyclist casualties in London is growing again. In 2010, 4,337 motorcyclists were injured on London’s roads. By 2014, this had gr
    Read More

Highlighted Content