IVU Traffic Technologies AG will implement a new operational control centre and real-time passenger information system for the Flemish transport operator De Lijn. Based on the standard solutions of the IVU.suite, the new system will be up and running within a year using IVU’s implementation process IVU.xpress.
Famous for its Coast Tram, at 68 km in length the longest tramline in the world, De Lijn operates some 3,600 busses and 360 trams in the Flemish region of Belgium covering the provinces of Antwerp, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Limburg, and West Flanders. In 2013, the company’s services attracted some 540 million passengers in city and regional transportation. IVU Traffic Technologies AG will implement a completely new fleet management system, which will be integrated with the existing planning software and the on-board systems on the vehicles. IVU.fleet will manage all communications, the location of all vehicles, and potential disruptions. In addition, IVU.realtime will provide the real-time data for adjacent passenger information systems. This will leave De Lijn’s customers better informed about departures and travel times across all channels.
With project completion scheduled for October 2015, De Lijn sought for an experienced contractor with a proven track record of accomplishing projects of this size in due time. IVU implements their system adhering to IVU.xpress — a process specially designed to quickly implement IVU’s standard software suite and to integrate it smoothly into existing IT environments. The new operational control system will replace De Lijn’s current system. Aiming to achieve a higher level of integration of the overall public transportation environment in Belgium, the possibility to integrate varying types of transport modalities and other operators into the IVU solution was particularly important to De Lijn.
“It is the goal of De Lijn to improve the way passengers experience public transport services,” says Yvan Strubbe, program manager at De Lijn. “IVU’s standard solution offers what we were looking for: software that easily integrates with different systems and goes beyond the current state of fleet management and passenger information.”
IVU’s director of International Sales Robert Mulder adds, “It makes us proud that De Lijn has valued the IVU system on its merits and that the world’s longest tram line will shortly be powered by IVU technology.”