Major Contract Award in Southern Sweden
Cubic Transportation Systems Limited has received a contract valued at approximately US$21.8 million from Swedish transport operator Skånetrafiken for
the design, delivery and implementation of the “Resekortet” smart
card-based fare collection system. The new multi-modal
system will connect bus and rail services in Skåne, the largest county in southern Sweden. Cubic Nordic, a division of Cubic Transportation Systems, Ltd., will handle all aspects of the contract.
The “Resekortet” system
will provide South Sweden’s rail and bus commuters
with greater convenience by speeding up boarding times
and allowing them the option of using the Internet
to automatically reload value onto their smart cards.
It also will reduce the risk of fraud and keep distractions
to a minimum for the bus drivers and train conductors,
freeing them to focus on fast, safe, on-time service
to the travelers.
The new system will consist of operating
software, communications, driver control units and
validators for buses; and ticket vending machines,
station validators and handheld ticket machines for
rail. Cubic will deploy its Nextfare™ Central
System for Skånetrafiken’s back office computing system. The contract also includes an option for customer services and maintenance.
Cubic’s open architecture system design allows the other transport operators in southern Sweden to join the “Resekortet” smart card-based system now or in the future. The five other counties in Southern Sweden: Blekingetrafiken, Länstrafiken Kronoberg, Hallandstrafiken, Jönköping Länstrafik and Kalmar Läntrafik, have indicated their intent to sign on to be part of a regional system.
As an added bonus, the new ticketing
system will be compatible with Denmark’s national
TravelCard system. The use of common design and engineering
standards in developing smart card-based ticketing
systems is a growing trend, as it provides a common
platform for fare collection among multiple transport
operators for large geographic regions, such as Scandinavia.
“Resekortet is the most crucial and important public transport ticketing project in Southern Sweden in many years,” said Claus Klitholm, managing director of Cubic Nordic. “It will also provide a link between Sweden’s and Denmark’s new contactless smart card-based systems, which will add even greater convenience for commuters who travel on both sides of the border. Our experience in developing and operating a complex system, such as the PRESTIGE/Oyster™ Card project for London Transport, proves we can meet the requirements and challenges facing transport operators today.”
The “Resekortet” system
for Skåne is scheduled to be in operation by
the end of 2006.
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