ITS-CUBE takes off
Kick-off for innovative bus prioritization in Hamburg and surrounding areas
On September 20, 2023, the kick-off for the ITS-CUBE project took place with a meeting at the HOCHBAHN headquarters in Hamburg. Under the technical leadership of Dr. Bernd Schober from the Department X of the State Authority for Roads, Bridges, and Waterways (LSBG), numerous stakeholders came together to set the course for this innovative project.
Among those present were Dr. Anjes Tjarks, the Hamburg Senator for Transportation and Mobility Transition, and Ozhan Yilmaz from the European Investment Bank (EIB), which finances the project by 90%. Representatives from Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH) and the surrounding metropolitan region were also on site. VHH, the second-largest transport company in Northern Germany after Hamburg's HOCHBAHN, operates nearly 700 buses across 166 routes, reaching into the districts of Herzogtum Lauenburg, Pinneberg, Segeberg, and Stormarn. Cities such as Ahrensburg, Elmshorn, Norderstedt, and Ratzeburg have also expressed great interest in the new technology for bus prioritization.
A transition to one of the new radio technologies is planned—either to short-range communication (ITS-G5 or C-V2X) or long-range communication (mobile networks)—with the aim of operating the buses more efficiently and improving their punctuality. This will enable transport companies not only to secure their existing schedules in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein beyond 2028 but also to allow for more frequent service. The prioritization of public transport aims to optimize traffic flow and make switching to buses and trains more attractive.
"It would be desirable if ITS-CUBE finds imitators across Northern Germany, allowing other cities and municipalities to benefit from our results," says Olaf Koch, overall coordinator for C-ITS prioritization of public transport and emergency vehicles for the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. "Digital networking is a crucial step toward developing customer-friendly, joint solutions and making the North ready for the mobility transition."
ITS-CUBE thus marks a milestone for the future of public transport in Northern Germany and supports the transport transition in the region.