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The leading international event for IT solutions in public transport, IT-Trans International Conference and Exhibition, takes place at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre, Karlsruhe, Germany, 18-20 February 2014. Visitors will hear from a series of experienced international experts on a variety of topics, including Ralph Langner, a leading global expert on cyber defence. Exhibitors from 25 countries will display IT products and services for urban mobility, from e-ticketing and passenger information systems

Government, cities, businesses and universities are joining forces to make sure the UK is leading the global race to develop smarter cities. A new forum led by government, will see local authorities and businesses working together to ensure that growth opportunities are not missed in a market estimated to be worth more than US$400 billion globally by 2020. The Smart Cities Forum, co-chaired by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts and Cities Minister Greg Clark, will develop plans to support t

A new report from business information specialist Visiongain has assessed that the value of the global commercial vehicle telematics market will reach US$11.2 billion in 2014. Growth in this market is mainly driven by three factors. Firstly, increasing fuel prices accompanied by strong price competition in logistics create downward pressure on the profit margins of transportation companies and fleet operators and drive them to adopt telematics to sustain profitability and gain competitive advantage. S

Spain’s Isolux Corsán has been awarded a US$100 million contract for the construction of a section of line 3 of the Santiago Metro in Chile. The project, part of the Metro Project, aims to improve the entire underground network in Santiago includes the construction of a 3.7 kilometre tunnel under the Chilean capital and includes the construction of three stations, five circular shafts and two rectangular shafts over a period of 28 months. It is expected to start operating in 2018.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and WTI Frankfurt have announced a new agreement to include 500,000 IET Inspec records on electric vehicles and mobility in the WTI Wissensplattform Elektromobilität (WTI Electric Mobility Knowledge Platform) and TecScan Journals. The initiative is a major boost to sharing knowledge on electric mobility. Richard Hollis, Business Development Director, IET, said: “This agreement furthers the IET’s commitment to making high quality scientific knowledge av

Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) is planning the construction of some 380 kilometres of new roads in 2014, along with a 600 kilometre expansion of the network of roads which will become part of the electronic toll system, viaToll. As a step towards implementing intelligent transportation systems in the country, GDDKiA plans to hire a national traffic management consultant to support it in implementing new projects.

A new study by MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global transportation analytics and system market is expected to grow from US$28.09 billion in 2013 to US$57.46 billion by 2018, at an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.4 per cent from 2013 to 2018. Major players in the transportation systems and analytics market are Cellint, Cubic Corporation, Deltion, Garmin, IBM, Inrix, Kapsch, Kewill, Oracle, Qualcomm, Ryder Systems, Thales, Tomtom and Traffic Master. The recent trend in the indus

ITS Finland, host of the 10th ITS European Congress, has launched the ‘ITS in your pocket’ app development competition, providing an opportunity for companies, teams and individuals to compete for a total prize sum of €100,000 (US$136,000). Apps should provide solutions to improve transport safety, efficiency and sustainability, make transport systems more comfortable and should focus on the user needs.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced funding of around US$67 million for 63cycle, pedestrian and multi-use path transportation enhancement projects that will encourage tourism and economic development opportunities across the state. The projects, selected via a competitive solicitation process, include the addition of accessible sidewalks, improved pedestrian access to public transportation services, construction of new bicycle and pedestrian facilities and the preservation and conversion of aban

The Riderscan project is launching its third and last survey targeting European motorcyclists. Focusing on new technologies and powered two wheelers (PTW), the survey will feed the Riderscan report on traffic management, providing a unique opportunity to European riders to express their views on coming intelligent transport technologies. Riderscan aims to bridge the gap between road safety authorities, researchers, and industry stakeholders by setting up a detailed survey over ITS systems in relation wit

Peek Traffic has expanded its distributor network, signing an exclusive distributor agreement Texas-based Wildcat Electric, which will promote and support Peek Traffic’s products in the state, including cabinets, controllers, system software, monitors, video systems, signals and power supplies. Mike Hobbs, Peek Traffic VP of sales and operations said “We have seen the potential of growth and expansion in the traffic management industry in Texas. Therefore, we decided to appoint Wildcat Electric Supply as

The acquisition of US advanced traffic management software and systems integration company Transdyn, well-known for its Dynac advanced traffic management software, enables Kapsch TrafficCom to offer an extended end-to-end product and solution portfolio for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to its current and future customers around the globe. The purchase price is US$16 million. Kapsch TrafficCom says it is now positioned to offer one a broad portfolio of intelligent transportation solutions to co

Cyclists using a busy intersection in Bournemouth, UK, are benefiting from an in-road cycle detection solution installed at the traffic signals. The intersection joins a major route into the city centre and experiences high traffic flows throughout the day. A designated cycle lane was installed along with an advanced stop line and an M100BR bicycle detection system supplied by Clearview Traffic. The M100BR works in conjunction with the traffic signals to detect cyclists approaching the junction. When a

Engineers from Imtech Access and Security are using field service suite planning software from Ortec and Sigmax to optimise their field service scheduling. Imtech is now able to send all work orders to field engineers automatically. The solution takes account if engineers’ qualifications and the requirements for the job, hours of work at the customer’s premises and appointments agreed with Imtech customers. The direct link between the planning system and mobile devices enables planners to see the curren

Aecom Technology Corporation has been awarded a consultancy contract worth around US$13 million for the design and an estimated US$103 million contract for the construction supervision of the Tseung Kwan O to Lam Tin (TKO-LT) tunnel project in Hong Kong. The tunnel will include a 2.6-mile, two-lane highway connecting Tseung Kwan O (TKO) at Po Shun Road in the east with the proposed Trunk Road T2 in Kai Tak development in the west. Along with the Central Kowloon Route and Trunk Road T2, the tunnel wil

Between 2002 and 2012 over US$5.7 billion was invested on substantial capital investment projects to improve the strategic road network in the UK. The Highways Agency has now published its 2013 Post Opening Project Evaluation (POPE) Meta report is now available on the Agency website, which it says represents the most comprehensive evaluation programme of expenditure within UK transport. Detailed appraisals of individual schemes are also carried out before they are put forward for construction. The broa

Norwegian State Railways NSB has awarded HaCon a contract for a new timetable information system. HaCon’s HAFAS journey planner integrates real time data to provide rail travellers with up to the minute information on potential delays, alternative routes and transport modes, actual seat occupation and wagon order. Passengers are able to access the information via the internet, mobile applications and message boards on the station and train. "Whether the railway traffic runs as planned or there are pl

China Railway Group (CRG) has expressed interest in redeveloping a disused railway line in the UK and has invited local officials to visit Beijing to discuss the plans further. The Stonebridge Railway near Birmingham has been out of commission since the 1930s and the group plans to spend an estimated £280 million to bring it back into service. The proposals, hailed as a remarkable development by councillors, are expected to improve rail links to Birmingham airport and the wider UK Central area. The

Automotive supplier Continental and Nokia’s Here have expanded their collaboration on connected car technologies, focusing on electronic horizon, future automated driving functionalities and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Work will begin with the development of precise map technology for Continental’s electronic horizon platform that will include a range of road information, including lane markings and connectivity, speed limit changes, no passing signs and more. This information will enable a

Outsourcing group Capita has signed a five year contract with Transport for London (TfL) to operate the congestion charging, low emission zone and traffic enforcement notice processing schemes in the capital. Capita will take full responsibility for the schemes in November 2015 following a period of implementation which commences in 2014. The overall agreement is expected to generate revenue of approximately US$238 million to Capita. Additionally, TfL has the option to extend the contract for a further