PT Lab: The return of the bus: BRTs and BHLS to power mobility network in Catalonia and Barcelona

PT Lab: The return of the bus: BRTs and BHLS to power mobility network in Catalonia and Barcelona
18 November 2024 - 11:00-12:00 - Online

This webinar will explore the revival of buses as a central mode in Europe’s urban mobility landscape. With cities and regions increasingly turning to electric buses and the concept of Buses With High Level of Service (BHLS) and BRT systems, buses are gradually perceived as a flexible, sustainable, affordable and increasingly socially-accepted mode – both by decision-makers and users.

Josep Mension, Director of the Bus Central Services Division at TMB (Barcelona’s public transport operator), will share Barcelona’s journey in revamping its bus network. Through a participatory and thorough mobility plan, the city and PTO created an efficient and integrated hierarchical bus network that complements the wider mobility network including metro lines, trams, regional railways, and connects the city to the region’s public transport network. Josep will highlight his work in the EU-funded project eBRT2030 where TMB is testing a high-capacity electric BRT line (route H12) that crosses the city through a busy traffic corridor.

Cristina Pou Fonollà, Head of Public Road Transport at the Government of Catalonia , will present the Expres.cat interurban bus network. Catalonia has implemented a BHSL network (Buses with High Level of Service) consisting of 43 bus lines that connect the provincial capitals with other medium cities and towns. Now, the government of Catalonia is planning the second phase to be launched soon: 40 new bus express lines that will run almost exclusively through high-capacity roads (especially highways, some with dedicated bus lanes), which allow higher speeds, and therefore competitivity against private means of transport.

For questions, please contact Alonso Davila Graf,  adavilagraf@polisnetwork.eu & Juliette Thijs,  jthijs@polisnetwork.eu