A1 The future of mobility and transport from the perspective of the Infrastructure Manager

Analysis of how Infrastructure Managers and decision makers should plan and decide about investments with medium and longterm life cycles, at a time when changes are expected in the mobility model, as a result of demographic, technological, energy and environmental changes.

A2 The future of mobility and transport from the perspective of the Client/Market.

Analysis of market behavior with regard to expected developments for the mobility and transport system, based on the building of prospective scenarios which take into account changes in relation to demographics, behavior, technology, energy and the environment.

A3 Evaluation of Network and Investment Policies

Development of tools and indicators as support for infrastructure planning and investment decisions, more specifically, the defining of evaluation methodologies and strategic indicators with respect to equality, accessibility, coverage, climate change and spatial planning.

B1 The assessment of human behavior regarding suicide in the railway system

Study to analyze and assess human behavior associated to suicides so as to ensure conditions which can avoid such acts on railway acilities, mainly at stations, train stopping places and level-crossings.

B2 Models for improved work flexibility and space management at facilities

Analysis and evaluation of the possibility of implementing new human resource management models. Given that trends of dematerialization, diversity, sharing and flexibility also apply to organization and working methods, it is vital for organizations to study and foster new models for human resource management and for the use of working spaces. The new models should allow new forms of working beyond the traditional one, providing greater diversity of options, flexibility and efficiency in the management of working time and a reduction in structure costs, namely with regard to facilities.

B3 Survey about the families living in IP owned neighborhoods

Analysis of the social situation of families living in IP owned properties to assess the living conditions of households, the state of the houses and respective occupancy so as to better support the management strategy for such buildings. Surveys should be conducted, for example, on resident households to provide a description of the respective social situation as well as on the conditions of the buildings and their surroundings.

C1 Dynamic toll model

Development of a dynamic model to apply toll rates, calculating sums based on variables relating to operating revenues, maintenance costs, traffic management, environmental and road accident indicators, that includes information to end users about their toll rate.

C2 Assessment of the benefits generated by transport infrastructure and how to capture their value

Assessment of the benefits generated by national railway and road networks and methods of capturing their value, such as with regard to commercial capital gains and capital gains on property, or through the reduction of accidents or environmental impacts.

C3 Railway market modelling

Development of a forecasting model based on the past data of the national rail freight market and on global transport indicators, which would provide insight, on a national level and within the Iberian Peninsula, into future market trends with the aim of supporting a better management for the development and maintenance of the national railway network.

C4 Benchmarking of best practices for administrative and document management models

1. Benchmarking of best practices for the functioning of administrative services (registration, scanning and distribution) to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.

2. . Identification of how to better promote and disseminate IP’s collection of documents and historical assets as to encourage studies on topics for which the company holds a vast bibliography.

D1 Renewable energy: using transport infrastructure

1. Analysis of transport infrastructure as a generator of renewable energy and of the potential uses such energy could have.

2. Analysis of the implementation of dynamic charging to vehicles in circulation on roads, including its application on a national level.

D2 Infrastructure resilience

Development of methodologies and practices which seek to provide strength and resilience to infrastructure, more specifically in relation to disruptions caused by the actions of adverse climate events and those resulting from environmental, geological and human causes. A further goal is for the project to focus on the development of predictive techniques allowing safety risks to be mitigated in railway and road operations, particularly at infrastructure points which are identified as critical.

D3 Sustainable Pavement

Soluções de pavimentação que contribuam para maximizar a sua durabilidade, e ainda para a redução da pegada de carbono, tanto na construção como reabilitação, seguindo os princípios da Economia Circular.

E1 Use of new structural materials in constructions and buildings

Study on new structural materials (for both new structures as well as for reinforcing existing structures) that require less energy to be produced. This analysis should take into consideration the circular economy and the principles of energy efficiency and the environmental resilience of the materials.

E2 Corrosion Modelling

1. Modelling of corrosion observed in structures versus real-time evaluation of structural integrity, enabling the evaluation of structures for damages, both with respect to loss/deterioration of materials and their properties and in relation to the aggressiveness of their surroundings. The methodology should also estimate the residual lifespan in each phase.

2. Development of the evaluation methodology of the durability of anti-corrosion protection systems in metal bridges and definition of their application strategy according to environmental aggressiveness.

E3 Degradation models for structures, railway lines and road pavements

Development of the evaluation methodology of the durability of anti-corrosion protection systems in metal bridges and definition of their application strategy according to environmental aggressiveness.

E4 Durability of masonry in tunnels

Development of a program for sampling and analyzing joints and masonry in tunnels which are more than 100 years old, enabling a more accurate estimating of the lifespan of such structures and a suitable preventive maintenance schedule.

E5 Development of new products to repair masonry and joints in construction

1. Creation of an automated detection system with automatic repair of masonry joints. This system should enable the detection of masonry joints, water-jet cleaning and efficient and effective injection of suitable mortar.

2. Creation of new mortars and pastes for masonry repair. These new products should be applied in situations where a slow hardening possible and where it is not.

E6 Analysis of the entrance portal effect on the aerodynamics of railway tunnels

Development of formats or systems to reduce the pressure and noise occurred when a train at high speed enters a tunnel. These formats and systems should test different entrance portal morphologies in a wind tunnel.

E7 Analysis of the dynamic stabilization effect in bridges

Study to define the admissible parameters of use in the dynamic stabilization of concrete, mixed or masonry bridges and their surroundings.

E8 Research into railway track-bridge interaction

Research and analysis of railway track-bridge interaction in long and ballasted bridges and in metal bridges with dilatable lengths greater than 40 m, with direct and permissive clamping.

E9 Ultimate load testing in tunnels

Ultimate load testing on century old railway tunnel walls (not in operation) to monitor the cracking development process so as to determine behavior patterns which are indicators of pre-collapse.

E10 Fatigue remaining useful life

Development of a methodology to evaluate the fatigue remaining useful life in metal bridges in the national railway network.

E11 Assessment of the condition and life cycle of embedded pre-stressed cables in concrete structures

Development of inspection and diagnosis methodologies enabling the assessment of the condition of embedded pre-stressing cabling in concrete, more specifically in ageing structures.

This study should focus on advanced remote observation techniques, such as groundpenetrating radar and Doppler tomography, as opposed to more traditional methods sing destructive tests such as the opening of inspection windows or drilling for observation with borescopes or non-destructive tests with x-rays or gamma rays.

E12 Study of new solutions in transition zones

Definition of a new technical solution for technical landfills in order to mitigate the problem resulting from the transition from embankments to structures, due to the difference in rigidit.

E13 Evaluation study of the reinforcement of masonry with composite fibers

Research and analysis of the behavior of masonry structures reinforced with glass or other fibers, the respective bounding and compatibility with lining.

E14 Study of new solutions to be implemented in large-scale expansion joints

Study of the impacts on road safety of the use of large-scale expansion joints and development of new solutions which promote the level of adherence of vehicles in large-scale road expansion joints.

E15 Study of alternatives for the transformation of non-reused bi-block concrete sleepers

Promotion of the circular economy through the study of solutions for the reuse, recycling or transformation of bi-block concrete sleepers, that are no longer applied in the national railway network and are currently considered as waste.

E16 Research into waterproofing systems using geotextiles

Research and analysis of the long-term behavior of new waterproofing systems using high-grammage geotextiles impregnated with a polymer modified bitumen emulsion, as an alternative to traditional waterproofing canvas.

E17 BIM Platform for the structure management system

Development of a BIM platform to support the IP Structure Management System, namely, for the technical-economic optimization of the integration and coordination of activities relating to the design, Inventory, inspection and maintenance of structures, specifically bridges and tunnels

F1 Evolution and optimization of toll systems

Development and optimization of current toll processes as well as the application of technologies to facilitate the charging process:

• Implementation of online registration (on the IP site portugaltolls.com or a different site) for the Easytoll product;

• Provision of information on IP toll rates and route calculator;

• Use of GPS to identify the route taken.

F2 Passenger Information System - Evolution and adaptation to current and future needs

Development and implementation of the Passenger Information System (Sistema de Informação ao Público - SIP) which meets the requirements of the new intermodal mobility and where SIP makes collective and sustainable mobility attractive. The SIP should incorporate theoretical as well as real information.

F3 Smart roads - The role and evolution of infrastructure

Development of mechanisms to identify, plan and design “new” road infrastructure taking into consideration underlying developments relating to electric, connected and autonomous mobility.

F4 Logistics 4.0 - Tools providing greater flexibility in the freight terminal business

1. Creation of a cloud supported platform which implements connections with the Logistic Single Window (Janela Única Logísica – JUL) and which serves as a hub/broker and allows the logistics park IT systems (ToS) to “connect” in a transparent and simple manner to the logistics chain of the new JUL and Portuguese ports. This approach will act as a driver to connect new entities to the JUL network and will create an economically sustainable model both at start-up and after the project’s implementation. The platform would be provided as software-as-a-service (SaaS) or pay-per-use, thus allowing entities of any size to have easy access to the new technological resources, which on one hand will promote the democratization” of access to JUL, while on the other will expand the logistics network/chain of remote areas in a win-win situation for the Portuguese economy.

2. Implementation of Integrated Smart Gate Services – the aim is to increase the quality of service to IP clients through the strengthening of Cloud connections and services among logistics chain operators, more specifically, the connection between IP clients and its transporters and drivers.

3. Provision of online services to transporters so as to optimize logistics processes between drivers and IP terminals.

F5 Development of optical recognition of road signs and markings

Development of a support system for the dynamic monitoring and inspection of Vertical and Horizontal Signaling. The system will be supported by automatic recognition from video and photographic data, using inventory, network and existing metrics, through comparison of information obtained in real time via input from equipment to be installed in IP’s road monitoring vehicles (Unidades Móveis de Inspeção e Apoio - UMIA) or other, consisting of cameras (front, rear and side) which, in addition to providing georeferenced information, will also dynamically indicate the identification of the road, the metrics (PK) and tracking, allowing a selection of information based on the the road or its section, on PK, on date, on time or on the operator.

F6 Cybersecurity – Development of an identity management system

Definition of architectures and prototyping to implement Identity Management Systems, PKI.

F7 Installation of sensors in the railway infrastructure

1. Development of sensors and sensor systems to apply in existing components and systems in the railway infrastructure. The following are identified as first stage targets:

• Switch and crossing trigger boxes;

• Checking of state of pantographs (wear and damage to pantograph contact strip and contact-strip pan);

• Variation measurement of the contact wire height when the pantograph is passing through.

2. Study and development of a system to carry out the coverage of critical points in the railway network with IoT sensors and technologies, which through the use of LPWAN communications (Low Power Wide Area Network) which have high range, low cost and low energy consumption, will allow data on infrastructure condition to be compiled.

F8 Remote infrastructure monitoring systems

Development of infrastructure monitoring systems onboard vehicles or systems which use drones/robots, which allow for the verification of parameters which are vital for checking the state of the infrastructure.

Exemples:

• Line alignment and levelling defects;

• Assessment of interaction between pantograph and overhead contact lines

• Detection of anomalies in structures;

• Detection and cartography of fissures in tunnels.

Matching of alarm systems to type and use of equipment

F9 Smart fleet – Model to optimize resources and enhance data

Development of a management and enhancement model for the IP Group fleet. The size, diversification of models and geographical range of the IP Group auto fleet could be used as a data source in the following areas:

• Real-time monitoring of parameters: traffic, emissions, types of terrain, etc.;

• Smart driving systems - reduction in emissions and reduction in accidents;

• Electric and driverless vehicles – hubs for pilot experiments to validate technology;

• Sharing Solutions (car sharing, carpooling, etc.).

F10 Licensing Management System - Automation of registration and forwarding of processes

Identification of a methodology for “Robot Process Automation”, speeding up process registration in the Licensing Management System (SGL – Sistema de Gestão de Licenciamentos). It is important to identify which of the existing “routine” processes may be automated, based on the analysis of documents, processes of data updating and internal advisory reports.

F11 New registration and updating process for buildings

Development of a process/methodology/platform allowing the “online and in due time” management of IP buildings, taking into consideration the different specificities for each type of building and respective use.

F12 Optimized route planning - Application to the road network inspection unit

Development of graphics-based platform, coordinated with IP’s IT systems (GIS, CRM, etc.), allowing network inspection work to be optimized.

This optimization should be carried out based on different variables (what do we want to find out?), on the aim (what do we want to optimize?) and on a series of restrictions (what do we need to address?). The aim is to obtain different scenarios of efficient routings to different operators.

F13 Use of traffic data to improve network and client management

1. Development of real-time traffic data collection methods:

• Counting and classification of vehicles in video or in orthophoto map;

• Origin-destination matrices via mobile phone records and other connected devices;

• Checking of the state of infrastructure or incidents;

• Integration of communication between vehicles and between vehicles and the infrastructure;

2. Provision of real-time traffic information to clients, allowing:

• Mobile services on routes in the event of accidents and/or limitations;

• Real-time increase of traffic safety and flow.

3. Cross-referencing of historic data to support network and infrastructure management decisions, such as:

• Investment in improving safety and promoting traffic flow;

• Identification of network constraints and the need for new investment;

• Assessment of signalling systems;

• Assessment of the influence of the state of the infrastructure and other aspects on traffic;

• Optimization of the validation of payments to be made to concessionaires and sub-concessionaires.

F14 Enhancement of GIS tools

1. Development of a tool for automatically calculating the curvature radii of networks (rail and road) supported by linear referencing and geographical tools as support for decision-making, to apply in projects to dimension and locate security systems.

2. Development of an automated LRS (linear reference system) network model to apply speed limits on the linear segments from the vertical signalling data survey.

F15 Dematerialization of asset and maintenance management

1. Development of a platform to support an Integrated Asset Management System with up-to-date information on main aspects.

2. Development of a system for the dynamic collection, registration and provision of data obtained from routine inspections.

3. Development of an online interconnection interface for maintenance teams with command and control of traffic ensuring compliance with regulations.

F16 New railway safety systems

Development of new train detection systems;

Development of new low-cost level-crossing solutions.

F17 Warning system when approaching a level-crossing

Development of a mobile warning and alert application when approaching a level-crossing, for pedestrians and vehicles, with indication of whether the level-crossing is open or closed.

F18 Rail traffic management tools and systems

Study, design and development of rail traffic management tools, more specifically:

• Management of timetables and capacity planning, including short-term capacity management;

• Decision-making support system to optimize capacity in real time, for disrupted traffic scenarios;

• Solution for traffic management in accordance with the Simplified Block System.

F19 Mobility Solutions in Deactivated Lines

Analysis of the potential to use deactivated railway lines for the development and implementation of pilot projects for active, shared and autonomous mobility, namely, electric bicycles, driverless buses and/or other transport solutions (light rail transport)

F20 Stations as a Service

1. Adapting of stations in large urban centers to future mobility trends - shared, electric, intermodal, flexible, digitally connected and with different levels of automation - integrating them into the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS). Development, for example, of solutions for the parking and supply of electric modes (bicycles and vehicles) at stations.

2. Development of solutions to make station buildings energy positive, analyzing the potential to develop new services and business models.