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The Dutch infrastructure is at its limit. If we don't make much smarter use of what we have now, the capacity will not be able to grow enough to meet the ever-increasing demand.
Shortly after our country went into lockdown last year, announced Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure & Water Management) indicated that she wanted to speed up infrastructure projects. It was the perfect time to make meters with the renewal of roads, rail and various maintenance work. In June a scoop: tens of millions more were made available.
Unfortunately, that opportunity was not used to its fullest. Besides infrastructure maintenance, the focus was mainly on maintaining mobility, employment and liquidity in the sector. But "maintaining" is really no longer enough for our aging infrastructure.
Because of the corona crisis, our infrastructure has been less strained in the past year, but that will not last long. The Dutch infrastructure has been doing very well for a long time, but the limit was reached before the corona crisis, and when things get busier again soon, we will inevitably run into that again. Roads are clogging up, tracks are crowded, and even the airports are trying to expand. We're not going to make it with patience. The innovation engine has to start running.
When our infrastructure clogs up, why don't we just build more? Unfortunately, the building space for these kinds of mega-projects is limited. Moreover, they are at odds with other priorities, such as environmental protection and limiting nitrogen emissions. But instead of asphalting the country for a lot of money and expanding the rail network, we can make smarter use of the existing infrastructure.
Businesses have already taken advantage of the corona crisis to make massive digitalization changes in their own infrastructure. They are now reaping the benefits of this: increased flexibility, better connections, a more resistant business. Digital transformation is also key for our infrastructure. There is a huge but untapped amount of data ready to be tapped to solve our capacity problem. Not to mention the currently untapped data we could collect and use.
For example, by lining the existing road surface with sensors, we can begin to proactively and efficiently manage traffic on our roads. Think automated detour instructions, AI-controlled traffic lights and other signaling devices, automatic notification of accidents and real-time monitoring of road surface quality. By managing traffic flows intelligently in this way, we can stop the growing number of traffic jams on highways and in our cities.
Railroads can also be made smarter with similar technologies, allowing, for example, more trains to run faster and closer together and allowing us to better control freight transport. In addition, automation of operational processes is possible - provided the infrastructure is made intelligent enough. Following on from that is automation of transportation itself, with self-driving cars and trains.
And just as you can make existing infrastructure smart, you don't need to invest billions in new vehicles: existing wagons can be excellently equipped with sensors, and cars have been connected to the Internet by external technology for years. Even smartphones can be used to better regulate our transportation flows! A good example is the Overhead Line Equipment Statistical Analysis Toolkit (OLE StAT) developed in partnership with UK-based Network Rail: a tool that can better harness performance data from existing catenary equipment to predict and prevent defects. This tool not only improves the safety of workers on the track by reducing the duration and frequency of manual inspections, but has the potential to generate millions in savings and make the rail environment safer and more reliable.
In addition to the aforementioned solutions, innovations and improvements are possible through the use of "digital twins. A digital twin is a virtual replica of physical assets - in this case the infrastructure - that allows all information about these assets, from condition to use, to be available in one place. With a digital twin, more and better insights can be obtained for smarter decisions and more efficient use of available resources. Extensions or modifications to infrastructure can also be designed more efficiently and innovatively through the use of digital twins. It also delivers real tangible results, such as at a nuclear reactor, where a digital twin dramatically reduced maintenance costs and reduced CO2 emissions by 30%. Although in various sectors, such as the manufacturing industry, plenty of progress is being made using digital twins, there is still much to be gained in the world of mobility.
Making individual infrastructures smarter is just the beginning. It helps us free up extra capacity, but that does not yet make the Netherlands' mobility future-proof. As long as we are blinded by individual modes of transport - we are talking either about road transport, or rail, or planes, or bicycles, or ships - we will continue to face capacity problems.
An efficient and future-proof infrastructure must therefore not only be smart, but also integrated. A lot can be gained in the connection of different modes of transport, and when certain forms of mobility become congested, we must be able to provide immediate alternatives. This is called MaaS: Mobility as a Service. Driving in the morning to your destination? This train and bus will get you there much faster!
To achieve this, it is important that we now commit to data collection and exchange. In addition, this orchestration can only be achieved when different carriers and administrators actually work together.
This last piece of the puzzle, cooperation, is still the weak link in the Dutch infrastructure. When capacity problems or breakdowns crop up, the finger is regularly pointed back and forth. But accusations solve nothing. It is much better to communicate openly and exchange knowledge so that we can strengthen each other. If we want to innovate, we must be open to the possibility that other people's ideas can be a valuable addition to the way we have always done things ourselves.
Fostering this multidisciplinary, technology-driven collaboration is what I am committed to during my work. Whether in the boardroom, during a knowledge session, or during the Raspberry Pi school competition that we organize every year: young and old are surprised time and again by this multidisciplinary aspect. Collaborating with other disciplines is the best way to improve your own ideas, and technology can enhance this collaboration in many surprising ways.
Holland's existing infrastructure is in danger of getting completely bogged down. But by using modern technologies in the right way to combine and utilize what we have in a much smarter way, we can breathe new, vital and long life into our infrastructure.
By Artemus Nicholson, Managing Consultant at PA Consulting Netherlands
