The TRIMODE project, whose goal is to develop a multimodal transport model that covers all freight and passenger movements across Europe, has now reached an important milestone, researchers say.
PTV Group, which is a member of the consortium, says that it completed the first project phase in late July by handing over the new model prototype to the European Commission.
Dr Klaus Nökel and Arnd Vogel of PTV Group offered a training course that provided DG MOVE experts with hands-on learning to make sure they are thoroughly familiar with the new model.
Nine model analysts from DG MOVE, JRC IPTS and DG RTD took part in the two-day training. Angelo Martino, founding partner and member of the management board of the Italian consulting firm TRT Trasporti e Territorio, that is responsible for the management of the consortium, said, 'We are pleased to have successfully completed our first TRIMODE training course at DG MOVE. The client had the opportunity to get familiar with the model, to define scenarios and analyse the results. All participants are now very happy to be able to use the wide range of functions offered by the high quality TRIMODE user interface provided by our PTV colleagues. TRIMODE is now installed and ready to use, the user interface is very stable and reliable. As the next step, we'll have to add further content to the model.'
Vogel added, 'The training was a great success. The response to the user interface was very positive and we got a lot of support for our role concept that allows both Visum experts and occasional users with little or no experience with PTV software to use the model and achieve results quickly. Even if there is a high number of concurrent users, the system keeps running smoothly and it's fun to work with this smart tool."
In the coming months, the consortium says it will focus on the completion of the economy, energy and freight demand models. These will then be calibrated against the traffic data provided by the statistical offices of the EU and the Member States. No easy task given the geographic extent of the model! But once accomplished (scheduled for mid-2019), the European Commission will have access to a valuable new tool for traffic and transport planning.
Click here to watch the video, in which Dr. Klaus Nökel talks about TRIMODE.
