In the evolution of urban transport, NEXUS seeks to establish an innovation benchmark, addressing crucial challenges and guiding European metros toward transformative futures. The collaborative effort unfolds through three interconnected workstreams, each contributing to overall progress. - WS1's core is the mission to redefine metro adaptability to demand fluctuations. Meticulous analysis and feasibility studies elevate adaptability, showcased through simulation tools. The focus remains on user-centered optimization aligned with evolving passenger needs. - WS2 focuses on train control systems of tomorrow. A comprehensive feasibility study paves the way for fully automated systems. Sustainability, safety, and seamless integration characterize the exploration, addressing challenges in infrastructure and system complexities. - WS3 delves into the innovative realms of AI and data science in metro transport. In collaboration with WS1 and WS2, this workstream explores promising AI applications. Rigorous evaluation ensures these digital innovations resonate practically in metro system implementations. Together, these workstreams harmonize in a holistic approach, envisioning a future where technology enhances operations responsibly and sustainably. NEXUS accentuates societal needs, weaving a narrative where metros become living, adaptable entities. Stakeholder involvement, including metro operators and passenger representatives, deepens the project's impact. Their participation resonates the results of NEXUS not only locally but also on the international level. Through optimization, analysis, energy and service efficiency, NEXUS aspires to pioneer innovative solutions for the urban and metro transport of the future, where the journey is as significant as the destination.

The FINE 1 project aims to reduce operational costs of railways by a reduction of energy use and noise related to rail traffic. The project results are expected to enable an increase of traffic in Europe and to enhance the attractiveness of railway in relation to other modes of transport. The project activities will support the innovation process within the S2R Technical Demonstrators (TDs) by providing methodology and know-how to enable development of low noise and low energy TDs. The project is fully in line with the EU objectives with eight technical work packages (WPs) addressing technologies to support these objectives. The reduction of energy use for rail vehicles is as addressed in WP 3 and WP4 and will indirectly lead to reduced green-house gas emissions, also with most rail transport powered with electricity. Further, reducing energy use will lower the life cycle cost and the costs of vehicle operation. The project also aims at development of practical methods for predicting noise and vibration performance on system level including both rolling stock, infrastructure and its environment. Prediction of interior vehicle noise is addressed in WP 7 and source modelling for interior and exterior noise in WP 8. With an accurate characterization of each contributing source, it will be possible to optimize cost benefit scenarios, as addressed in WP 6, as well as take exposure and comfort into account. Finally, the auralisation and visualisation techniques of traffic noise scenarios and the noise control techniques developed in WP 9, support the reduction of noise exposure for residents by efficient traffic planning and novel mitigation techniques. In summary, the expected FINE 1 advances of the state-of-the-art in noise modelling and control as well as in energy management and control methodology, will improve the competitiveness of the European railway system compared to other modes of transportation and thus promoting a modal shift to rail.

SHOW aims to support the migration path towards affective and persuasive sustainable urban transport, through technical solutions, business models and priority scenarios for impact assessment, by deploying shared, connected, cooperative, electrified fleets of autonomous vehicles in coordinated Public Transport (PT), Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and Logistics as a Service (LaaS) operational chains in real-life urban demonstrations in 5 Mega, 6 Satellite and 3 Follower Pilots taking place in 20 cities across Europe. By deploying a fleet of 74 L4/L5 AVs of all types (buses, shuttles, pods, robo-taxis, automated cars connected with MaaS and cargo vehicles) and for all transport operators (passengers, cargo and mixed transport) in both dedicated lanes and mixed traffic, connected to a wide range of supporting infrastructure (5G, G5, IoT, etc.) and operating under traffic speeds ranging from 18 to over 50km/h, it aims to satisfy 7 UCs families and 22 single UCs; that together cover all urban automated mobility needs and wants of the stakeholders (i.e. as reported within SPACE initiative and in ERTRAC roadmap). Project pilots will last for 24 months, with real service seamless operation in each pilot site lasting at least 12 months and will transport with AV fleets over 1,500,000 passengers and 350,000 units of goods. Being the bigger and more holistic ever real life CCAV urban demonstration initiative, it is user led (by UITP) and realised by a Consortium of 77 Partners, 13 third parties, [terminating 9 partners and 6 third parties] and with the additional support of 60 stakeholders (connected through LoS, including major stakeholder Associations) and twinning actions with 11 organisations the US, S. Korea, Australia, China, Taiwan and Singapore.

The objective of VIRTUAL is to improve the safety of road users by providing procedures and open access tools to assess the benefit of novel safety systems. The goal is to establish a European based global hub for Open Source Virtual Testing (OpenVT) and to demonstrate its success in traffic safety. Open Source Human Body Models of both men and women will be made available in a format that is scalable to represent different ages and sizes of car occupants, vulnerable road users, and users of public transport. VIRTUAL will develop computationally efficient, robust crash simulation tools and standardised protocols for impact scenarios not yet considered in regulations or consumer testing. It will cover enhanced integrated safety for pedestrians, cyclists, occupants of (automated) vehicles and public transport. An OpenVT platform will be established to provide stakeholders with all models, tools and protocols for virtual testing (VT); the platform will continue to be available after this project has ended. These new resources will allow the European automotive sector and transport providers to produce better performing safety systems that will reduce road casualties. VIRTUAL will demonstrate how current road safety assessments can be complemented and improved by VT giving full credit to vehicle manufacturers and transport providers for their efforts in providing best real-world vehicle safety. VIRTUAL will close the gap between VT and standardised vehicle safety assessments by providing models of the humans (validated for safety assessment) and the protocols and criteria needed to identify the foremost road user protection beyond the scope of physical testing and provide a method for cost-benefit analysis of novel systems. VT will reduce the number of physical tests needed while addressing a greater variety of accident scenarios and road users, actively promoting safety innovations reducing the number of injuries and fatalities providing safer road transport in Europe.

Creating trust in wireless solutions and increasing social acceptance are major challenges to achieve the full potential of the Internet of Things. SCOTT, with 57 key partners from 12 countries (EU + Brazil), will provide efficient solutions of wireless, end-to-end secure, trustworthy connectivity and interoperability to bridge the last mile to the market (TRL 6-7). SCOTT focusses on wireless sensor & actuator networks and communication in mobility, smart infrastructure and health, thus addressing essential European societal challenges and significantly contributing to burning issues such as Automated Vehicles or Industry 4.0. SCOTT is based on 15 industrial use cases with a focus on cross-domain applications and heterogeneous environments, emphasizing 5G and cloud computing aspects. It uses a standardized multi-domain reference architecture, fully compliant with ISO 29182, which fosters reusability, scalability, and interoperability. Nearly 50 reusable technical building blocks will be developed and utilized, proving cross-domain sharing of trustable wireless technologies and services. Finally, more than 20 tangible demonstrators will be presented all over Europe to a broader public. Following a user-centred design to put security and privacy really in the hands of the user, SCOTT will build up and apply a dedicated Trusted System Development Framework to significantly foster acceptance of SCOTT solutions on the market, including the creation of an unprecedented, standardisable ‘privacy labelling’. SCOTT covers full value chains from silicon to end-users/operators showing full vertical integration. Via reference implementations and open innovation approaches as well as close cooperation with AIOTI and other cluster organizations, SCOTT will establish an attractive, long-term eco-system. Ultimately, SCOTT will foster Europe’s independence for security enabling components and systems and will further boost the growing “internet economy”.