Spotlight

Detailed look at a specific topic or area of interest

• Helsinki Public Transport: Aiming to reduce car ownership

  February 1, 2015
  The City of Helsinki has announced plans to transform its existing public transport network into a comprehensive, point-to-point, mobility-on-demand system by 2025.

• Denver RTD FasTracks: Accelerated capital programme

  January 1, 2015
  The RTD FasTracks Program is an integrated, multi-modal 12-year programme to build 190.4 km (119 miles) of new commuter rail and light rail, 28.8 km (18 miles) of bus rapid transit, 21,000 new parking spaces at transit stations, and expand bus service in the Denver metropolitan area.

• Multi-service approach in transit fare payment: Systems and processes

  December 1, 2014
  Convenience, accessibility and diversity have increasingly become the key words for transit fare collection. Worldwide, momentum is building towards transit operators and banks allowing riders to use integrated payment option for transit fare and other services such as retail purchase, bank transactions, parking, public services, etc.

• Spain's high-speed network: High network growth and expansions ahead

  November 1, 2014
  Over the last 25 years, Spain has undertaken massive efforts to develop a modern, standard-gauge railway network. The Spanish Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) is the longest high-speed rail (HSR) network in Europe with length over 3,100 km. It is the second-largest HSR network in the world, second only to China's network of length 11,000 km.

• Public Transport in Tokyo: Becoming bigger and better

  October 1, 2014
  The public transport system in Tokyo is the fastest and most-convenient way to travel around the city. The city is served by commuter rail, subway, streetcars, and buses.

• Metro systems in India: Existing and upcoming systems

  September 1, 2014
  Rapid urbanisation is increasing population density in urban areas around the world and India is no exception. According to a survey conducted in 2007 by the United Nations State of the World Population, 40.76 per cent of country's population is expected to reside in urban areas by 2030.

• EU CIVITAS Initiative: Demonstrations in ‘living laboratories'

  August 1, 2014
  The European Commission (EC) launched the CIVITAS Initiative in 2002 as a programme “of cities - for cities.� The word IVITAS was coined as an amalgamation of three key components of a modern European society, namely city, vitality and sustainability

• BRT corridors in Latin America: Existing and upcoming projects

  July 1, 2014
  Latin American cities are leaders in the implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in the world, accounting for 63.6 per cent of BRT ridership and a third of BRT route km worldwide.

• Victoria State Budget FY2014-15, Australia: Prioritising transport infrastructure

  June 1, 2014
  In May 2014, the state government of Victoria published the budget for FY2014-15, committing about AUD27 billion towards development projects.

• Smartphone applications in transit services: Growing popularity [free access]

  May 1, 2014
  The smartphone is well on its way to becoming the bestselling electronics product in the world. In fact, between 2012 and 2013, worldwide smartphone sales increased by around 43 per cent; and in 2013, worldwide sales of smartphones surpassed sales of the basic-feature phone devices for the first time.

• STIF budget 2014: Continued increase in public transport investments

  April 1, 2014
  The public transport authority of the Paris region (ÃŽle-de-France), the Syndicat des Transports d'ÃŽle-de-France (STIF), has approved an investment budget of EUR787 million for 2014, marking an 8.6 per cent increase over the investment budget for 2013.

• Public transport investments in the UAE: Projects in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

  March 1, 2014
  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has revealed plans to invest USD21 billion within the next six to seven years to develop railway infrastructure. Of this, almost USD10 billion will be invested to develop the Abu Dhabi metro, expand the Dubai metro and construct the Dubai tram system.

• PPP projects in transit, Manila: Stuck in systemic delays

  February 1, 2014
  The public-private partnership (PPP) programme of the Government of Philippines, launched in 2010 for sustainable and inclusive growth, comprises five public transport projects valued at PHP133.21 billion for Metro Manila.

• Transit funding in Chicago: City versus the suburbs

  January 1, 2014
  In October 2013, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) for Northeastern Illinois passed the budget for allocation of funds between the three service boards - the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban bus.

• SFMTA 20-Year Capital Plan: Catalogue for San Francisco's transit needs

  December 1, 2013
  In October 2013, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) adopted a 20-year capital plan comprising an unconstrained list of capital needs and priorities for the city.

• Investments in Paris metro and RER: Major expansion and modernisation underway

  November 1, 2013
  The Paris metro opened during the World Exposition in 1900 and is the oldest in Europe. With closely spaced stations limiting options for expansion, the metro catered only to the core city.

• Light-rail systems in Southeast Asia: Opportunities in existing systems

  October 1, 2013
  Presently, only four Southeast (SE) Asian cities—Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Singapore — have operational light-rail transit (LRT) systems.

• Public Transport Improvements in São Paulo: World Bank projects underway

  September 1, 2013
  In August 2013, the federal government of Brazil announced that it would invest USD1.31 billion to create 99 km of new express lanes to speed up bus services in São Paulo.

• Light-rail transit in Middle East: Progress made in the past one year

  August 1, 2013
  In the Middle East, ambitious plans have been chalked out for light-rail transit (LRT). Overall, the Middle East has seven LRT projects spanning over 390 km.

• ITDP's BRT Standard 2013: Upholding the BRT brand

  July 1, 2013
  In March 2013, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) released the first comprehensive Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Standard, a defining and scoring method...