Indra to Supply Fare Collection System for Metro de Medellin

Indra, has won a 2.6 million euros contract with Metro de Medellín to implement the complete fare collection system for the new Ayacucho trolley and to upgrade the contactless validators for the two subway lines. This new project will integrate the Ayacucho trolley with the pioneering intermodal public transportation system that Indra has implemented in Colombia’s second-largest city, and the access control technology developed by the multinational will be used in every mode of transport managed by Metro de Medellín.

Indra’s platform, which facilitates the combined use of different modes of transport, and the new ticketing systems, passengers will able to access the Ayacucho trolley with the same contactless card they already use on the subway, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) buses, the subway shuttle buses, and the three cable-propelled aerial transport lines.

Indra will be responsible for supplying, installing, configuring and rolling out the fare collection systems for the “Avenida Ayacucho Green Corridor” trolley, which include the contactless validators, turnstiles and other access control systems, based on the Open Cívica software developed by the company. The multinational will also implement latest-generation automatic top-up machines, confirming the excellent results of a pilot experience which Indra conducted previously for Metro and which will permit the use of unmanned stations without any sales points operated by Metro staff.

With regard to the technology and capability upgrade for the subway lines, the contract includes the replacement of the nearly 200 existing access control validators with Indra’s latest-generation contactless validators. The company will also supply new equipment to increase the capability of the access controls at the subway stations—specifically, 53 units comprising turnstiles, validators, readers and interface modules.

The contactless technology implemented will provide Metro de Medellín with the latest technology in terms of specifications, scalability, versatility and adaptability, since it will be possible to add new technologies in the field of simple, fast and transparent payment methods. The use of a central, global platform will also facilitate absolute control over fare transactions, allowing the client to explore new ways of marketing and operating its system.

Meanwhile, citizens will not only benefit from the convenience of using a single access card and the ease of intermodal transfers, but also from faster and safer transactions, which will cut down wait times at station accesses.

Top technology for Medellín mobility

This new contract reinforces Indra’s position as the technology partner for Metro de Medellín and consolidates the multinational’s status as the technology leader for traffic and transport control in Colombia’s second-largest city. Medellín has won international recognition for its commitment to sustainable mobility, with awards like the one granted in 2013 by the Wall Street Journal and Citigroup as the “World’s Most Innovative City”, the “International Sustainable Transport Award 2012”, and that same year the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) award as the “Model Latin American City in the Implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)”.

In 2008 Indra implemented the DaVinci system to manage Medellín’s rail traffic, and in 2010 it started developing Metro’s current fare collection system. Subsequently, the Metropluś BRT (Bus Rapid Transport) fleet of public buses were added to this system and Indra deployed its Operation Assistance System to manage them. The integration of this system with DaVinci has given rise to an intermodal public transportation platform—the first of its kind in Colombia—which facilitates the use of different modes of transport.

This platform has permitted the integration of the rail and bus operations, and now the trolley has been added, which has led to a single system for managing all vehicles, with a special emphasis on the interchanges where the different lines meet. The solution has made it possible to manage the transportation service more efficiently, offer better quality and information to passengers, and promote the use of public transportation.

The combination of all of these technologies has not only improved the quality of the public service and the information provided for users, but has provided Metro de Medellín with more knowledge about the service and demand.

In addition to the transport solution, Indra has also implemented intelligent traffic systems (ITS) in Medellín and a new integrated traffic control system for the city. The new traffic control center is the largest in Colombia in terms of the number of systems integrated with a single platform, since it receives, integrates, uses and analyzes information from the different traffic sub-systems and six independent control centers: Collective Passenger Transport; Incident Center; Police Fleet Control; Police Logistical Planning and Mobility; Traffic Violation Control; and Traffic Light Regulation Center.

Based on Indra’s Hermes system, the solution guarantees the continuous tracking of traffic conditions and real-time monitoring of the different control sub-systems. Since it collects current and historical data, it also facilitates the analysis and consolidation of the information for making decisions about mobility. Specifically, it increases safety and optimizes the flow of vehicles while cutting traffic times and costs and reducing the environmental impact.