Sydney advances intelligent transport management system

Sydney has begun to develop an advanced transport management system, providing customers with improved real-time information and predictive technology that can reduce congestion.   

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, said the new system will help the Transport Management Centre (TMC) make faster, more informed decisions which results in more reliable passenger journeys and lower levels of congestion. 

“Technology is rapidly changing the way people move around Sydney, driverless Metro trains will start carrying customers in 2019 and driverless cars are already being tested on NSW roads,” Constance said.

“This $123 million investment will future proof our transport management system for these innovations, so we can better manage congestion and respond to incidents faster, as well as preparing for new transport infrastructure in the pipeline.”

“It makes us more responsive to incidents by automating current manual processes using data. The goal is to predict 30 minutes into the future and act in five – helping to divert traffic, coordinate public transport and provide real-time information to customers about any disruptions or alternative routes.”

The system will be delivered in 2020 and will include auto-generated congestion alerts that tell operators when and where unusual conditions exist, leading to faster detection and clearance of crashes and other incidents.

Part of the programme includes a contract with Cubic Transportation Systems (Australia) Pty Limited (CTS) to collaboratively build an advanced multi modal transport platform to replace the current traffic management system that was built for Sydney Olympics 2000.  

“This announcement is the continuation of a strong collaboration with Cubic, which already operates the Opal smartcard network. This ongoing relationship will ensure we receive continuous product enhancements and upgrades, while minimising additional investment, to deliver innovation for many years,” concluded Constance.