- The company and its partner Esteio were awarded four contracts to implement traffic management and toll systems in the south of the country as well as a metropolitan traffic management contract in Curitiba.
Indra, the premier IT company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe strengthens its position in the Brazilian traffic market after being awarded along with Esteio the implementation of toll systems in three important stretches of the motorway in the south of the country in addition to the implementation of an intelligent traffic management system in one of these stretches. Furthermore, Indra and Esteio will design and start up a metropolitan traffic management system in Curitiba, capital city of Paraná. The contracts amount to nearly €10 million.
Indra and Esteio through the IESSA joint venture will equip with toll systems a 382 km stretch of Litoral Sul that joins Curitiba with Florianopolis and a 412 km stretch of the Planalto Sul motorway that joins Florianopolis with Lages. Both stretches are key junctions in the country's transport network. The Litoral Sul motorway joins Brazil's coastal towns and the Planalto Sul motorway crosses the country from north to south and is part of the Panamericana motorway.
Both projects were awarded to Indra and Esteio by OHL Brazil and are expected to be completed before year-end. The toll system of Litoral Sul motorway will cover 114 manual lanes and 20 electronic lanes whereas Planalto Sul's will cover 36 manual lanes and 16 electronic lanes. The systems will improve income management control and will provide the concessionaire with commercial information. Users will be able to choose the method of payment; from cash to Visa, Vale Pedágio (a Brazilian electronic payment system for haulage contractors) to vouchers on manual lanes and through (TAG) electronic payment system on electronic lanes thus improving comfort and flow.
Besides this, Acciona through its subsidiary concessionaire Rodovia do Aco, awarded Indra and Esteio the implementation of a toll system and smart traffic management systems in the 200 km stretch that connects Volta Redonda with Três Ríos, both in Rio de Janeiro. This stretch is very important since it diverts traffic away from Río de Janeiro on its way from Minas Gerais to Sao Paulo.
The toll system in this stretch will consist of 14 manual lanes and 6 electronic lanes where payment can be in cash, with Visa, Vale Pedágio, vouchers and TAG. The traffic management systems will collect information concerning traffic density, type of vehicles in circulation, weather conditions such as rain, temperature and visibility in real time. By means of variable-message signs, traffic will be regulated and drivers will be warned about congestion, fog or rain etc which helps increase security levels.
Metropolitan traffic management
Both Indra and Esteio will undertake the design of urban traffic management systems of line 1 of the bus network as a priority and of Avenida Marechal Floriano of Curitiba (Paraná). These are critical elements around which traffic revolves in the city and will be regulated through the Hermes system developed by Indra. The system will integrate the traffic light control system, variable message sign bus detection which will reduce the length of the trip in a 15%.
At the beginning, the system will deal with 48 crossroads although the amount is expected to increase up to 600 across the city. It is the first time Indra exports Hermes and it is likely to create other business opportunities in Latin America.
Motorway management in Latin America
Indra deals with the implementation of integral solutions for traffic control and management, tunnel control systems, toll systems. The company has numerous references in this sector not only in Spain but also in USA, China, Portugal, Ireland, Montenegro, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile among others.
Indra entered the Brazilian market with the implementation of the traffic management systems in the Northeast motorway of Sao Paulo which became operative in 2005. After this experience, the company managed to participate in the modernisation project of terrestrial infrastructures by the Brazilian government.
In Latin America, Indra undertook the implementation of toll systems in the North ring road of Mexico DF, in the Tepic-Villa Unión motorway and the North ring road of Toluca. In addition, there are the toll systems and traffic management systems in the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense and in Chile, the implementation of different systems in the Nororiente highway, the Andes highway and in the Vespucio NorPOniente, Vespucio Sur and Costanera Norte motorways in Santiago de Chile.
Indra is the premier Information Technology company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe and Latin America. It is ranked as the second European company in its sector according to stock market capitalisation, and also the second Spanish company with the most investment in R&D. In 2007, revenues reached € 2,167 M, of which a third came from the international market. The company employs more than 24,000 professionals and has clients in more than 90 countries.