The TERMINAL project intends to investigate the possibilities of automated buses in public cross-border passenger transport and to prepare their successive use in pilot projects.
Project background
From idea to project: The Greater Region in motion
With 230,000 commuters crossing the borders of the Greater Region every day - upward trend - mobility is of great importance for the demographic and economic growth of the Greater Region, but also represents a challenge.
The increase in commuter and freight traffic creates high traffic volumes in the border region and increases the risk of accidents. At the same time, unprofitable bus routes are being removed in rural areas, which hinders the mobility of young or elderly people dependent on public transport. Finally, the ecological aspect of mobility plays an important role. These developments clearly show that innovative mobility solutions are essential for the design of future transport models. The Terminal project idea was born.
The mobility of the future must be simple, affordable and accessible to all, just as it must be safe, ecological and flexible; automation and intelligent networking of road traffic can play a central role.
Goals
Towards cross-border automated mobility: gathering technical and economic knowledge.
The primary objective of the TERMINAL project is to increase cross-border worker mobility.
As the first practical test within the trilateral digital test field DE-FR-LUX, TERMINAL will test a cross-border automated bus line under real traffic conditions in the surroundings of the municipalities Überherrn (DE) and Creutzwald (FR). This is a premiere, as besides the technical challenges from the point of view of communication between bus and traffic technology, the entire legal framework for obtaining a special permit in both countries as well as the requirements of commuters are examined.
On a second route between LUX and DE or FR, Mobility on Demand (MoD) - the possibility of ordering a bus as required independently of a fixed timetable - will also be investigated.
Besides the technical aspects, the project also aims at researching how the technology affects people and how automated vehicles and MoD services can be integrated into existing local public transport systems. The results of this multidisciplinary and comprehensive mobility project will be delivered in the form of
- a handbook on the introduction of cross-border automated public transport connections for transport operators in rural areas, and
- recommendations for policy-makers and mobility providers regarding innovative mobility models.
Results
In addition to the deliverables for each action, the consortium has produced a brochure for mobility providers to provide decision support for the implementation of automated cross-border connections.
It can be consulted here (only available in German and French): Guidance note
On the other hand, the lessons learned during the project have allowed to derive recommendations for authorities and policy makers to ensure the sustainable development and implementation of automated transport lines in the Greater Region.
These recommendations can be consulted here (only available in German and French): Recommendations