Award-winning Digital Twin Cuts Delays and Improves Bus Reliability for Tees Valley
November 2025
The results are out for the Tees Valley Traffic Digital Twin.
Early reports show that in trials covering the summer months, the digital twin system helped buses get back to normal speeds within 15 minutes of intervention, and cut delays for all traffic by nearly 14%.
This is the UK’s first region-wide automated Traffic Digital Twin and the first to connect directly to on-street traffic signals for automated intervention.
The next-generation system runs with full automation and no human involvement. It detects disruptions and deploys proven responses in real time, helping traffic and buses move again faster.
Just days after the report was published by Tees Valley Combined Authority, the team won the Digital Twin went on to win the prestigious November 2025 CiTTi Award for AI and Data Analytics.
How the Digital Twin Works
Developed with local partners to improve day-to-day operations, the Tees Valley Digital Twin constantly compares what’s happening on the network with what should be happening, then recommends and triggers practical measures—such as pre-approved signal timing plans—at key junctions and corridors. These responses are organised into local “playbooks” so that interventions are rapid, consistent, and can be delivered automatically without manual input.
The approach is focused on defined hotspots where the right levers already exist, giving operators a realistic way to deliver benefits now while building a roadmap for wider coverage.
Seamless Automation
Yunex Traffic has played a key role in the Tees Valley deployment, providing the advanced traffic signal infrastructure and integration expertise that enable the digital twin’s automated interventions to be executed seamlessly on the ground. Their technology ensures that the system’s recommendations are translated into real-world action, supporting the region’s ambition for smarter, more responsive mobility.
Real-World Impact
The latest analysis, spanning early July to late September 2025, shows clear, real-world gains for passengers and drivers. Using on-street bus probe data (BODS), the programme recorded a step-change in conditions within a quarter of an hour of activation: the weighted mean segment speed climbed from roughly 4.3 mph at detection to 15.9 mph within +15 minutes—an 11.6 mph rebound that indicates services are being brought back towards typical operating conditions quickly after disruption.
To understand the wider effect on all traffic, the team also ran controlled comparisons in the Digital Twin, asking how the network would have performed if no action had been taken.
Across approximately 600 strategy deployments at the evaluated hotspots, the modelled counterfactuals show a 13.7% reduction in average travel time when targeted strategies were used, confirming that incidents were, on average, cleared faster and more smoothly than they would have been otherwise.
Locations with frequent disruptions and mature playbooks delivered the strongest gains, providing a clear template for replication.
Scaling Up
“These results demonstrate how an operational digital twin can turn live data into tangible benefits on the street—helping buses recover quickly and reducing delays where it matters most. As Tees Valley extends the playbooks to more junctions and corridors, we expect the impact to scale.”
— James Daniels, Managing Director, Aimsun UK
While the monitoring has focused on current hotspots, the programme also highlights significant headroom for growth: around one in ten detected incidents fell inside today’s hotspot boundaries. As further corridors are brought under active management, the same rapid, repeatable playbooks can be applied more widely, amplifying benefit for both road users and bus passengers.
“The delivery of Phase One marks a major step in our wider Digital Transport Programme and demonstrates how innovation and data can drive lasting change. By combining local expertise with world-class technology, we are building the foundations of a truly Smart Region, one where digital capability supports cleaner growth and better connectivity.”
— Andrea Reacroft, Digital Transport Programme Delivery Manager, Tees Valley Combined Authority
“Delivering the Digital Twin has shown how combining technology with local expertise can make a real difference on our roads today. Phase Two will take that progress further, extending automation, broadening coverage, and strengthening the Tees Valley’s position not only as a leader in digital transport innovation, but also in fulfilling TVCA’s ambition to genuinely improve the lives of people across the region.”
— Sean Fryer, Digital Transport Delivery Manager, Tees Valley Combined Authority
Next Steps
To deepen the evidence base, the next phase will pilot a simple A/B approach at a small set of locations. Qualifying events will be randomly assigned to either the current preferred strategy or a conservative baseline with safety guardrails, and outcomes will be checked at the +15-minute mark using the same passenger-focused measures. This will turn today’s strong associations into quantified, causal results and keep reporting transparent and decision-ready over time.
The Tees Valley Digital Twin won the November 2025 CiTTi Award for AI and Data Analytics
About Aimsun
Aimsun provides digital mobility solutions, offering advanced simulation and predictive analytics for smarter, more sustainable transportation. We help cities, agencies, and consultancies plan, manage, and optimize mobility networks with confidence.
About Tees Valley
Tees Valley is a leading UK region for transport innovation, deploying advanced digital and automated solutions to improve mobility, reliability, and efficiency across its road network.
