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

  • Rio’s TMC rises to Olympic challenge
    October 27, 2016
    Timothy Compston lifts the lid on Rio de Janeiro’s preparations for keeping its transport systems moving during the Olympics – and the outcome. Hosting the Olympics poses major traffic management challenges for any city and Rio was no exception – especially as it is already one of the world’s most congested cities. Beyond its normal 6.5 million inhabitants wanting to carry on their daily lives, in August Rio was also home to 11,300 athletes from 206 countries. Athletes who, without fail, had to reach their
    Read More
  • Switching Atlanta onto MaaS
    May 9, 2019
    It’s easy to talk about MaaS in the abstract – but MaaS isn’t going to work if it’s just a theory. Colin Sowman speaks to one woman about the practical benefits - and difficulties - of getting out of her car and switching to public transit in Atlanta, Georgia One of the first goals of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) inventor Sampo Hietanen is that MaaS should persuade households they don’t need a second car. This is starting to happen - even in the car-dominated US. Last year, authorities in the state of Ge
    Read More
  • Q&A: Why has Almaviva bought Iteris?
    January 17, 2025
    US-based ITS sector veteran Iteris has been bought for $335m by Italian digital specialist Almaviva. But who exactly is the new owner and what does it want? Adam Hill finds out…
    Read More
  • Success of London's Olympic public transport systems
    December 4, 2012
    The Olympic flame has moved on, allowing review of the relative degrees of London’s 2012 transportation success, how it was done and with what lasting effects. Jon Masters reports. This magazine’s international position provides a good vantage point for assessing impressions left by London’s 2012 Olympic Games. On the whole, it has been only praise and congratulations heard since the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in August and the Paralympics in September. The events looked great and ran smoothly
    Read More

Highlighted Content