News

Brunswick, Maine, will be the site of an unusual three-year research project involving testing an automated trespasser detection and deterrent systems in high-risk areas along the Pan Am railways and Amtrak Downeaster rail lines, the Maine Department of Transportation has said. Researchers will install and operate systems that automatically detect trespassers, capture video with wireless cameras and issue recorded warnings to tell them to get away from the tracks. The systems also can be used to alert lo

The Dutch government is to invest US$3.74bn in 2014 to build 149 kilometres of roads in the Netherlands, according to minister for transport Melanie Schultz. Projects include the Blankenburg Tunnel west of Rotterdam, improvements to traffic flow around Utrecht and extension of the A15 ring road. A further US$2.3 billion is to be spent on public transport, including railway projects to improve travel between Schiphol airport, Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Nijmegen and improvements to the public transport trav

Brazil’s government announced plans in 2012 to sell state asset to private investors through long term concession deals that would give the winning bidder the right to operate roads, rails and ports, many once built by the government, for around 30 years. The government is now looking to contain the risk involved with high tolls during the privatisation process for roads, and will initially auction off motorways with the lowest tolls.

St Petersburg, Russia anticipates a 1.5 fold increase in subway development financing in 2014, and has allocated around US$2.3 billion in its draft budget for 2014-2016. One of the deepest metro systems in the world, St Petersburg's Metro has a total length of 113.5 km and 67 stations, one of which is 86 metres below ground. Serving 2.15 million passengers daily, it is also one of the busiest metro systems in the world.

A group of research centres and companies in Madrid has created what is said to be the first infrared and remote system able to detect pollutants from cars on highways up to three lanes. The goal is to be able to conduct a global test of automobile emissions. According to the researchers, the prototype, which is ready to be marketed, can make an intelligent measurement of highway traffic by collecting real-time data on traffic density, emissions and consumption associated with each vehicle, and weather c

According to Professor Thomas Braunl, director of the renewable energy vehicle project at the University of Western Australia, it’s time for Australia to choose a standard for vehicle charging connectors. When the university started Australia’s first electric vehicle trial in Western Australia in 2010, there were no manufacturer-built cars available and locally built conversions had to be used. As of today, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Holden and Tesla offer electric cars in the Australian market. Nearly all inte

A consortium led by Strabag and comprising its partners Euro-Asfalt and ZGB is to build the Svilaj-Odžak section of the international motorway corridor 5c in Bosnia. Work on the 10.4 km long section will begin in October 2013 and includes the construction of the roadway, the border crossing at Svilaj, the Svilaj toll station, two service areas and two motorway exits. The contract value amounts to around US$112 million.

The car navigation systems market in three ASEAN countries – Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand – is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.2 percent (2011-2018) to reach 2.08 million units in 2018, says a new report by Frost & Sullivan. Personal navigation devices (PNDs) are expected to dominate the ASEAN navigation systems market. The new analysis, Strategic Growth Opportunities in Navigation Systems Market in ASEAN, finds that the PND segment had a market share of 93 percent in 2011

For decades, planners and engineers have gathered traffic data using expensive, time-consuming surveys and processes. A new AirSage white paper, "The Future of Transportation Studies: A Comparative Review" looks at the emerging trends that are transforming the transportation planning industry and examines traditional traffic data collection methods and new complementary technologies at the forefront of the transportation industry.

A recent cross-border study by PTV and transport consultant ProgTrans in the tri-national Eurodistrict Basel (TEB), which has borders with Germany and France, examined ways in which public transport could be strengthened in the region and the need to make the most of mobility options.

Drivers convicted of causing death by dangerous driving should be given stronger and more consistent penalties, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). An IAM analysis of eleven recent prosecutions involving mobile and smartphone use revealed that the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is four-and-a-half years in prison and a disqualification from driving for seven years. In all of the cases analysed, the convicted drivers were found to have lost the

Brazil's national ground transport agency Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT) has received eight bids for its US$1.34 billion BR-050 federal highway concession between the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais. The thirty-year concession involves the construction of the BR-050 highway, including restoration, maintenance, road widening and other improvements to provide a 437 kilometre highway along the Minas Gerais and São Paulo border, with six toll booths.

The UK Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is to introduce remote enforcement for more compliant transport operators. The remote enforcement office (REO) will be tested by VOSA in an initial six month trial scheduled to start in October.