The Austrian transportation technology company Kapsch TrafficCom is strengthening its footprint in southern Europe, with three new urban mobility projects to be implemented in the Spanish cities of León, Irun and Bilbao.
Following its acquisition and integration of Schneider Electric’s Telvent transportation business unit in 2016, the Kapsch Group has been growing its footprint in the European urban mobility market. Kapsch sees its TrafficCom division as a one-stop provider of end-to-end solutions, from components and design, to the implementation and operation of systems. The company is now able to provide complete and integrated intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in the fields of tolling, traffic management, smart urban mobility, traffic safety and security, and connected vehicles.
Kapsch has signed three new contracts in Spain, and is currently offering its solutions in more than 20 cities across the country. The three new projects are:
• León – Kapsch will be managing city traffic by implementing an Access Control System for the historic center, with the aim of preserving its ancient monuments and improving traffic flow through the use of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) systems. This initiative is intended to help taking better care of the city’s heritage, enhancing the quality of life for residents, and significantly improving transport links for local traders. Overall, the project is designed to improve mobility and reduce harmful emissions. Through the six-year contract, Kapsch will also be responsible for the operations of the city’s Traffic Control Room, as well as the renovation of its IT systems, and the overall improvement of communications in León.
• Irun – As part of a joint venture, Kapsch and Construcciones Amenabar will increase tolling capacity by renewing the Irun-Barrera toll system that is managed by the public entity Bidegi. The new system will provide users with more choice of payment methods, through the incorporation of electronic payments and on-board units (OBUs). Used by more than 14,200 vehicles each day, the implementation of Kapsch’s state-of-the-art technology will considerably increase toll capacity, enabling it to manage up to 1,000 vehicles to pass each hour without stopping. This will speed up traffic by using both manual and automatic card/cash payment systems. The project will be carried out over the next 16 months, and comprises the supply, installation and commissioning of 20 toll stations.
• Bilbao – In collaboration with Insitel, Kapsch has won a contract for the maintenance of Bilbao’s railway and tram ticketing systems for the next four years. This was granted by Eusko Trenbideak-Ferrocarriles Vascos, part of the Basque Government’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. Kapsch will be responsible for equipment and systems maintenance of the Euskotren rail and tram ticketing network, which comprises a total of: 145 self-sale ticketing machines, 156 cancellation posts, and 204 automatic station cancelling machines with flaps. The objective of the project is to reduce daily incidents by as much as 50%.
“These new contracts reinforce our position in the country, and demonstrate our capabilities in both our core tolling business, as well as in the field of urban mobility,” noted André Laux, COO of Kapsch TrafficCom. “Our long-standing experience in these fields spans an increasing number of countries.”
