Final Customer

RACC Mobility Club

Location

Barcelona, Spain

Dates

June 2017 – November 2017

Barcelona Tramlink Study

TRAM

AIR QUALITY

IMPACT STUDY

The tram lines serving the east and west sides of the city do not currently link. RACC Mobility Club wanted to evaluate the proposal to join up Barcelona’s two existing tram networks via a new 4km tram line running through the center of Barcelona along Diagonal Avenue.

Project Location

The study analyzes the impact of a new tram link at key junctions in and around Diagonal Avenue – the major thoroughfare that cuts across the whole of the Eixample district in the city center. The main focus was on the busy 1.5 km stretch between Francesc Macià Square and Passeig de Gràcia boulevard.

Aimsun Solution

The Aimsun Next model was used to model the linking of the two tram networks and assess the impact on three factors:

 

  • Air quality
  • Travel times for users of the light rail service
  • Travel time for other road users

 

Results showed that from a mobility point of view, journey times would be shorter for tram users. In contrast the new tram link would lead to longer, less reliable travel times for users of the bus routes crossing Diagonal Avenue as well as for some pedestrians and private vehicle users. Buses would have to take new routes to avoid the tramlink but the initial proposal had only taken into account the added kilometers on the new bus routes rather than how much longer they would take to drive.

 

From an environmental perspective, this increased congestion for private vehicles would bring a significant negative effect on air quality (the levels of NOx) on Diagonal Avenue, the software showed.

Benefit to Customer

RACC Mobility Club was successful in their rejection of the proposal to implement the tramlink along Diagonal Avenue, showing unequivocally that it would in fact increase congestion and journey times in the Eixample district, for both public and private modes of transport crossing the avenue and would therefore also increase emissions and noise pollution.

 

Furthermore, RACC Mobility Club was able to propose an alternative solution for the tramlink, having used the model to study possible link scenarios using other, less busy routes such as Urgell-Roma-Aragó, Urgell-Gran Via, Numància-Sants-Roma-Aragó or simply using Gran Via.

Reason for Success

The flexibility of Aimsun Next allowed the customer to model a variety of scenarios even including the impact of actions such as lowering the average tram speed, modifying tram priority at certain intersections, or building short pedestrian underpasses at certain larger squares to maintain surface transport flow.

 

The clear, easy-to-understand visual outputs and models in Aimsun Next allowed non-modelers in government positions to understand the impacts of each proposal and enables them to compare options.

Customer Testimonial

In a public statement, RACC urged that these conclusions should not be used to promote an ‘anti-tram’ stance but rather they indicate that further research is necessary to develop robust proposals.

Related Case Studies

Sydney: CBD Aimsun Next Model

Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) is developing an innovative, multi-layered traffic model of Sydney’s central business district (CBD) to test the impacts of a wide range of projects particularly the introduction of light rail through the city centre.

Learn more »
  • Hast du eine Frage? Nimm Kontakt auf.

    Wir sind hier um zu helfen!

  • Hast du eine Frage? Nimm Kontakt auf.

    Wir sind hier um zu helfen!

TEILEN

Zitieren Aimsun Next

Aimsun Next 23

Aimsun (2023). Aimsun Next 23 User's Manual, Aimsun Next Version 23.0.0, Barcelona, Spanien. Zugriff am: July. 19, 2023. [Online].
Verfügbar: https://docs.aimsun.com/next/23.0.0/


Aimsun Next 20.0.5

Aimsun (2021). Aimsun Next 20.0.5 User's Manual, Aimsun Next Version 20.0.3, Barcelona, Spanien. Accessed on: May. 1, 2021. [In software].
Available: qthelp://aimsun.com.aimsun.20.0/doc/UsersManual/Intro.html

Aimsun Next 23

@manual {​​​​​​​​AimsunManual,

title = {​​​​​​​​Aimsun Next 23 User's Manual}​​​​​,
author = {​​​​​​​​Aimsun}​​​​​​​​,
edition = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Aimsun Next 23.0.0}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
address = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Barcelona, Spain}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
year = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​2023. [Online]}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
month = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Accessed on: Month, Day, Year}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
url = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​https://docs.aimsun.com/next/23.0.0/}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​


Aimsun Next 20.0.5

@manual {​​​​​​​​AimsunManual,

title = {​​​​​​​​Aimsun Next 20.0.5 User's Manual}​​​​​​​​,
author = {​​​​​​​​Aimsun}​​​​​​​​,
edition = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Aimsun Next 20.0.5}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
address = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Barcelona, Spain}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
year = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​2021. [In software]}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
month = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Accessed on: Month, Day, Year}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
url = {​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​qthelp://aimsun.com.aimsun.20.0/doc/UsersManual/Intro.html}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,
}​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Aimsun Next 23

TY - COMP
T1 - Aimsun Next 23 User's Manual
A1 - Aimsun
ET - Aimsun Next Version 23.0.0
Y1 - 2023
Y2 - Accessed on: Month, Day, Year
CY - Barcelona, Spain
PB - Aimsun
UR - [In software]. Verfügbar: https://docs.aimsun.com/next/23.0.0/


Aimsun Next 20.0.5

TY - COMP
T1 - Aimsun Next 20.0.5 User's Manual
A1 - Aimsun
ET - Aimsun Next Version 20.0.5
Y1 - 2021
Y2 - Accessed on: Month, Day, Year
CY - Barcelona, Spanien
PB - Aimsun
UR - [In software]. Available: qthelp://aimsun.com.aimsun.20.0/doc/UsersManual/Intro.html