VTM services

The air transport business has undergone profound changes over recent years, both on the supply side (airline offer and business models, airport operations) and on the demand side (volume and demand behaviour). At the same time, since 2001 there has been an increase in airport security levels resulting in severe disruptions to terminal operations, which in turn have impacted airlines. Despite the increase in fuel prices reflected in the final price to passengers, there has been a general increase in demand for air transport, posing new challenges to the sector.

At a time when the preservation of the environment is part of the strategic options for investment in transport systems and mobility solutions, the railway seems to be the means which ensures the movement of people and goods with the lowest environmental impact. The optimization of installed capacity, increased operational efficiency, maximising returns on significant investments in rolling stock and infrastructure, competition, intermodal cooperation (co modality), freight mode shift from roads and highways and service contracting are some of the short and medium term challenges facing railway operators.

Given the geographical position of Portugal, with extensive coastline and cities located on large rivers, and consequent need for related mobility, a differentiated offer of waterborne transport is fundamental for the movement of people and goods. The optimization of installed capacity, reduction of operation costs without compromising safety standards, maximisation of return on investments on fleets and infrastructures, competition with other modes, are some of the challenges facing operators in the short to medium term.

The development of demand forecasts and revenue in transport systems is a challenge whose accuracy is a major concern of the various entities involved in the various planning processes in the road sector. The growing involvement of private sector in financing and developing solutions for mobility and accessibility requires strong and robust approaches for assessing the profitability of projects in which demand forecasts occupy a central place.

During recent decades, the patterns of mobility have become increasingly more complex and less sustainable, especially in metropolitan areas, a trend that has to be addressed radically and rapidly. The increasing use of private transport over other more sustainable modes, whether collective or individual, as a result of economic development, decentralization of activities and services, and urban sprawl, has have evidenced the increasingly negative impacts of mobility on the environment, energy consumption, and consequently, public health, quality of life and climate change. In this context, it is necessary to have effective management of urban mobility, and promote sustainable transport solutions, managing the use of individual transport and changing attitudes and behaviours of users. This means we need public transport services of quality, and with suitable characteristics to meet the demands of users, space, time and associated costs.

The need to support investment decisions based on ever more precise demand and/or operational scenarios has become an urgent necessity. The use of tools for economic and financial analysis to assess project viability has become mandatory. These tests allow us to understand the financing needs of each project, the benefits of each project to society, environmental impacts, the effect on jobs and on the wealth of society overall, among others. This type of analysis also allows us to improve decision-making regarding the design / operational model of different transport systems, particularly regarding frequency of services, pricing strategy, the scaling operation in terms of rolling stock, and to understand how different investment scenarios and different operational and macro economic developments may affect project viability and sustainability.

The growing involvement of the private sector in financing and developing solutions for transport and mobility, whether in infrastructure or services, requires knowledge and skills suited to addressing the various dimensions and perspectives of the delivery of such solutions.

The need to improve road traffic flow in urban environments, coupled with the need to integrate aspects of urban design and the operation of mass transit systems, is one of the major challenges facing urban areas. Moreover, new urban developments are typically generating mobility needs. Traffic and Accessibility Studies have gained special importance in recent years, ever since they have been required by law to be submitted for municipal licensing, regardless of their type and size. Topics such as parking, road safety, loading and unloading regulations, and pre-dimensioning accesses are integral components of our studies due to their inseparability from the analysis of traffic conditions.

Logistics is seen today as almost the new paradigm in the differentiation and competitiveness of economic agents, a result of economic globalization, changes in the production and distribution of products and in consumer habits. In parallel to these global trends, there has been a growing national concern about coordination and infra-structurization of the country`s logistics, promoting rationalization of consumed resources as a key step to ensuring economic and territorial development. Planning and investment in this sector are key to improving the competitiveness of the national productive and business fabric, and of the agents associated with transport and logistics.