News

The Government of Canada has announced a US$77.6 million investment over a two-year period to increase the safety and efficiency of VIA Rail's Ottawa-Montreal rail corridor. The investment will support several infrastructure projects which aim to increase the reliability of the service by reducing delays for users while at the same time improving the safety and accessibility of VIA Rail's Ottawa-Montreal corridor service.

With almost six million of the UK’s motorists expected to head to Europe before the end of 2015, new survey by RAC European Breakdown exposes Britons' ignorance of what to do if in distress on overseas roads. It found that most drivers can't name the European Union (EU)-wide three-digit number to call in emergencies. Only 38% know the correct answer is 112. Worryingly, 10 per cent think the normal UK 111 non-emergency NHS line extends its reach throughout the EU. A further 6 per cent confuse their contin

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced that applications to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for its seventh round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants totalled US$9.8 billion, almost 20 times the US$500 million set aside for the program, demonstrating the continued need for transportation investment nationwide. Among the 625 applications for grants received this year, 60 per cent are road projects, 18 per cent are transit projects, and eight p

According to PKU Tsentravtomagistral, some 20 km of roads to Domededovo in Russia are to be built at a cost of US$264 million. The project includes four interchanges and nine above-ground pedestrian crossings. The construction period is five years. The airport entrance reconstruction project also stipulates expansion of the road from two lanes in each direction to three. It also involves the removal of intersections with pedestrian crossings and reconstruction of interchanges and overpasses.

Research and Markets’ latest report, Intelligent Transportation Systems - Roads to 5G, addresses current technical and marketing aspects of ITS and claims that by 2040 about 65 to 70 per cent of all cars on the roads will be driverless. It emphasises the role of M2M communications in reaching ITS goals, and it is looking forward towards ITS enhancements based on WICT (wireless information communications technologies) of the 5G era, such as visible light communications (VLC) and others. It also evaluates

This week the government announced plans to put US$31 million into the research of driverless cars. Thanks to this funding, autonomous cars are set to be trialled in the UK by the end of the year. With this in mind, independent vehicle supply group OSV carried out a survey to find out if they wanted driverless cars. Surveys were previously carried out when the conception of autonomous cars was first released. OSV wanted to know if opinions about driverless cars have changed now the research has develope

The list of keynote speakers for the ITS World Congress, which takes place in Bordeaux, France, from 5-9 October, has expanded its list of keynote speakers to include Pierre Coppey, president of ASFA, France, who will speak at the opening Ceremony and session on Monday 5 October. Carlos Tavares, chairman of the Managing Board, PSA Peugeot Citroën, France, will speak at the opening Ceremony and Business Industry session on Monday 5 October, while Seval Oz, chief executive officer, Continental Intelligent

Egis has acquired 51 per cent of Projacs, the leading project and construction management firm in the Middle East, in a strategic partnership to develop new opportunities in the territory. Founded in 1984, Projacs offers a wide and integrated range of project management services mainly relating to building projects. The firm is firmly established in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait) and also operates in neighbouring countrie

Australian transportation technology provider Vix Technology has won a US$14 million contract with the Malaysian government to unify payments for the country’s multiple transit operators under a single transport ticketing system. The scope of the deal will see Vix Technology design, install, operate and maintain the transit acquirer system (TAS) and business rules engine (BRE) for the new integrated cashless payment system (ICPS).

Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors has approved a US$140 million two-phased contract award to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure (BBII) to design and build the Southeast Rail Extension. Design will begin during the fall with construction expected to start in spring 2016. The Southeast Rail Extension will build an additional 2.3 miles of light rail on the existing Southeast Rail Line south of Lincoln. When complete it will include an end-of-line station at RidgeGate Parkway,

ITS World Congresses are packed with content and none more so than this year. While you can pick and choose to attend or participate in most of that content when you are in Bordeaux, there are numerous exclusive and unmissable opportunities you need to think about and decide on right now, or you will risk missing out. So, think about Sunday 4 October, the day before the Congress has its official opening. And also Saturday 10 October, at the end of the event for those who stay a few extra days in this beauti

To help industry leaders identify the way forward and future growth strategies, Frost & Sullivan brings together a global network of visionaries and thought leaders at its annual Growth, Innovation, and Leadership (GIL) conference 2015 in Monaco on Friday, 23 October. The event at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort will feature a mix of Frost & Sullivan experts and distinguished industry visionaries. The impact of new business models and a new world of opportunities that are shaking the marketplace are