ITS Monday: Edition 41, 2025

Australia’s latest metro is about to open. Here’s how we’ll know if it’s working

Professor Hussein Dia writing in The Conversation. “Like other major Australian cities, Melbourne is being pulled between two futures: the sustainable, public-transport-centred city long planned for, and the car-led city that daily life still reinforces. The tunnel is a crucial step towards the first — but its success will be measured by what happens next.”

Australian-made bidirectional (V2X) EV charger hits the market

““New Australian business V2Grid have just received Clean Energy Council (CEC) certification for their bidirectional EV charger – the first in Australia to receive this – meaning it can now be installed in Australian homes!“

Related iMOVE projects:

• V2G in South Australia: Consumer insights
• Utrecht to Australia: Unlocking scalable, low-cost V2G
• Leading the charge in bi-directional charging

2032 Olympics planners stress the importance of technology in managing event transport

“The Director-General of Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads in Australia has stressed how a successful delivery of the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane can only happen by embracing the latest in transport technology. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the ITS Australia Summit 2025…, Sally Stannard emphasised the importance of innovation, technology, and collaboration in building safer and sustainable communities.”

New infrastructure strategy boosts bike corridors

“Infrastructure Victoria, the state’s independent advisory body on infrastructure development, has launched a powerful new case for the extension and upgrade of the cycling networks across Melbourne and regional cities.

Victoria’s Infrastructure Strategy 2025–2055, launched today, has urged the state government to build more high-quality bike routes and to more regularly publish updates to the strategic cycling corridor network.”

Related iMOVE articles:

• Active Transport: Info, Projects &; Resources
• Micromobility: Info, Projects &; Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• Optimising multimodal transport networks: Sharing road space
• Safer cycling infrastructure: Design and policy
• Behavioural change for sustainable transpor

From coal exports to green steel production? The role of circular economy precincts for sustainable port diversification

A new academic paper, co-authored by Veronica Schulz, Michael G.H. Bell, John M. Rose, Jason Monios, and D. Glenn Geers..

The abstract:

This study examines the potential for establishing a circular economy precinct centred around green steel production at the Port of Newcastle, Australia, as a strategy to diversify the port and hinterland away from its reliance on coal exports. Using system dynamics modelling and sensitivity analysis, the study assesses the economic viability of green steel production under various market conditions, including fluctuations in green steel pricing, carbon credit values, and production costs.

The findings reveal that while green steel production offers promising profitability, its economic success is highly sensitive to production costs, supply of material inputs, changes in carbon credit prices and market dynamics. We found that the precinct would be feasible under high steel prices and premiums, achieving monthly profits of up to $8.25 million by 2025 and $15.5 million by 2050, but it remains sensitive to low steel prices and high Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) costs, requiring up to $140 per ACCU to break even in low-price scenarios.

The study highlights the importance of supportive policy measures, such as increased ACCU allocation, renewable energy infrastructure development, and market incentives like green steel certification and government procurement mandates, to enhance the viability of this diversification strategy.

Related iMOVE projects:

• Preparing for automated container transfers in Australian ports
• Trade and circular economy opportunities for port infrastructure
• Supply chain traceability of live Southern Rock Lobster exports

What 300,000km of regional electric bus trials in NSW reveal

“Transport for NSW has released new findings from its multi-site electric bus trials, showing strong performance across varied regional conditions and offering insights into how zero-emission vehicles operate outside major cities. The update coincides with World Sustainable Transport Day and adds more than a year of real-world data to the state’s growing knowledge base.”

Related iMOVE article:

• Electric Vehicles: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• Electric school buses for metro & regional WA: Enabling the shift
• Gippsland community e-Bus pilot

Incorporation of endogenous exit capacities in node models with various movement exit speeds

A new academic paper, co-authored by Xiaolin Gong, Michiel C.J. Bliemer, Mark P.H. Raadsen, and Aristotelis Tsoutsanis.

.The abstract:

In macroscopic traffic assignment, the node model is fundamental for accurately capturing traffic dynamics at junctions and intersections, and its accuracy is important for reliable delay prediction and effective flow management. However, most existing node models assume exogenous exit capacities, either fixed or externally adjusted based on traffic control, which overlooks variations caused by flow compositions and vehicle turning behaviours and consequently reduces predictive reliability and real-world applicability.

This study proposes a novel approach that achieves endogenous exit capacities within the node model by moderating flow rates according to flow compositions, scaling inflows inversely with turning speeds during pre-processing and rescaling outflows during post-processing, without requiring any modification to the node model itself.

The results demonstrate that the proposed approach is behaviourally consistent and operationally robust in capturing key traffic characteristics. Node models that disregard endogenous exit capacities tend to overestimate, and in rare cases, underestimate the outflows.