Integrated transportation systems

An integrated mobility system is made up of various compatible components that make efficient use of the existing infrastructure. In the strategic planning, multimodal and inter modal systems are designed and the various transportation modes are systematically integrated. The aim is to utilize and improve the efficiency of existing systems, such as rail transport, and secure it for the future.

New mobility options are continually emerging, such as car sharing, e-scooters, and – if we look ahead – autonomous flight systems. Research activities will focus on mobility needs and structural integration:

• How do we operate a system of this kind?
• Who are the new users? What modes of transport have the customers used in the past?
• How can new mobility options be integrated into existing infrastructures?

The future automation of vehicles in combination with ride pooling and other on-demand mobility services will cause a shift in the system boundary between public transportation and motorized individual traffic. Logistics traffic and personal transportation will also be increasingly networked, for example through crowd logistics.

As existing transportation systems are optimized, entirely new technologies are emerging – from automated drones for personal transportation and logistics to revolutionary transport systems like the hyperloop. These systems will also have to be strategically planned, integrated into the multimodal infrastructure, and operated efficiently. This is the only way of ensuring that they will benefit society.