Strasbourg commissions INIT to install
a next-generation operations control system

For this project, INIT will tailor the functionality of its Intermodal Transport Control System MOBILE-ITCS, making it fit for the French public transport market, where trams are one of the most important modes of transport. Possible future dispatching measures include, for example, improved terminal stop management. The new ITCS is capable of mapping the sections of the tram network that are single track and will therefore require special management by the operations control system. Dispatchers will also benefit from improved working conditions, thanks to MOBILE-ITCS nextGen's ergonomic operating concept (UX design).

INIT will also be renewing the vehicle location tracking system. In the first phase, the trams will still be located using existing ground beacons and beacon readers in the vehicles. However, as this technology is approaching the end of its lifecycle, in the second phase, INIT will switch to the more cost-effective and less maintenance-intensive system of coupled positioning. With a combination of logical and physical positioning, the on-board computer will then be able to determine the current location at any time, even without trackside equipment. And with the use of GPS, supplemented by odometry and gyroscopy sensors, the tram's direction of travel and even track changes can be detected with high precision.

Voice and data transmission works using an existing TETRA radio network; a solution that INIT has already successfully implemented in several projects - with VoIP as a fallback level and with the option to switch to the public 4G/5G network in the future. The hardware required for this in the vehicle is provided by INIT's COMgateway communication module, which is certified in accordance with EN 50155 for the railroad sector.

The new COPILOTrail on-board computer, which is used in the trams and has the required galvanic isolation in the device to decouple it from the vehicle electrics, is also currently undergoing the certification process for the rail sector. In the buses, the globally proven COPILOTpc will support all the necessary telematics applications. With this project, INIT is demonstrating its expertise in operations control not only in the bus sector, but also once again in the combined bus and tram sector.

Passengers also benefit from the new operations control system: departure time predictions are calculated in MOBILE-ITCS nextGen using machine learning (ML) algorithms based on current and historical traffic data and are therefore characterized by significantly increased reliability. Improved incident management will also lead to higher punctuality and greater operations efficiency. And finally, in the future, MOBILE-ITCS nextGen will also provide more accurate information about track changes.