• Alabama Steel Terminals to build rail-served facility at Port of Mobile (8/2/2013)

• Assistant Vice President Bridges & Structures

11/4/2016

Cubic Transportation Systems: Surface Transport Management solution

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), a business unit of Cubic Corp., last month launched its new Surface Transport Management solution in Melbourne, Australia. The technology provides operators a way to share information on incidents across all modes of travel from an information and decision support perspective, according to the company.

The software also allows operators to coordinate a multimodal response. For example, if a specific train route is delayed or cancelled, leaders can move additional loads onto parallel surface streets.

"The solutions are not proposed to replace niche railway systems such as signaling or control systems – the Cubic solution is about integrating all modes of travel from an information and decision support perspective," said Chris Bax, vice president of ITS global strategy at CTS. "

Developed in collaboration with Microsoft Corp., the technology "sits at the core of the smart city where its multimodal integration capabilities allow transport management centers to control and direct travel networks throughout the city, and deliver safer, more secure and more reliable journeys for travelers," CTS officials said in a press release.

The solution is the first of its kind, providing a holistic view across all transportation modes, according to the company.

"Both Cubic and Microsoft have long believed that the increasing prominence of the smart cities movement means that collaborative partnering among industry leaders, academia and transportation operators solutions is essential to solutions that recognize the continuing evolution of the mobility sphere," CTS officials said. "As an example, this has meant designing a solution that is ready for the widespread deployment of fully autonomous vehicles for both passenger and freight movement."

In its Smart Cities Readiness Guide, the Smart Cities Council said that a "helicopter view" of holistic infrastructure-wide solutions is indicative of the move of cities toward integrated systems.

"Interoperability is essential to all aspects of the smart city, and nowhere more so than in transportation. It reduces complexity and costs while allowing cities to still get value from their legacy systems," said Jesse Berst, chairman of the Smart Cities Council.