One of the leading global consulting and infrastructure technology companies has installed and launched a massive tolling system in Mexico, which covers nearly half of the country’s road network.
Spanish infrastructure giant Indra has developed and deployed one of the world’s largest remote toll system projects to date, at a total cost of €38m (US$42.1m). The company has implemented and put into operation its remote toll system technology for the entire public highway network in Mexico that is managed by Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE), a Federal Government-owned public company that is controlled by the Ministry of Transportation. The project covers almost 500 lanes, totaling nearly 2,485 miles (4,000km), and representing approximately 45% of the country’s entire highway networks. Indra will also be responsible for the system’s maintenance over the next four years.
The technology implemented by Indra includes the new remote toll system and telecommunications equipment, as well as subsystems for billing, communications, customer service and back office systems, which will enable the management of toll collections and the processing of all transactions. Due to Indra’s new remote toll system, road users can now pay without stopping, using a TAG electronic device (transponder) installed in their vehicles. The system has also been designed with interoperability at its core, with the new system unifying all the different electronic payment programs available in Mexico, so that a driver may pass through any toll booth, regardless of TAG brand. The system has also been ‘future proofed’ so that it is ready for payment processing on other roadways, in addition to the existing tolled highways.
Indra’s multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) electronic tolling systems use a combination of laser and video sensors with DSRC (dedicated short-range communications) technologies, and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras for violation capture and enforcement. The company’s back office system is based on a modular architecture, with various sub-systems that can be integrated into the overall platform, allowing it to be tailored to a client’s specific needs.
This project further strengthens Indra’s leadership in the Mexican transportation infrastructure market, where the company has recorded significant growth over the last few years. It has developed a number of projects, including the deployment of the traffic management system and the intelligent traffic systems (ITS) in the Necaxa-Tihuatlán highway; ITS, toll and remote toll systems for the Guadalajara-Tepic highways; ticketing and security systems for the Mexico City suburban railroad; and toll and ITS systems on the Arco Norte freeway and Circuito Exterior Mexiquense roadways, among others.
