A story that has been moving for 25 years

Twenty-five years, in the world of technology and public transport, are not simply an anniversary. They are proof of resilience, evolution and, above all, mutual trust. The collaboration between SWARCO and TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) is one of those stories that are not born by chance and that, above all, do not last so long without solid foundations.

Today TMB manages one of the most important urban bus networks in Europe: approximately 1,100 vehicles, around 25% of which are electric, distributed across more than 110 lines that run through Barcelona like an always-active nervous system. Behind this complex and fascinating machine there is a technological heart that, for 25 years, has also been beating thanks to the SAE (Sistema di Ausilio all’Esercizio) supplied and evolved by SWARCO.

In Barcelona, Carmine Ianzano and the SWARCO team met some of the protagonists of this story, such as: Albert Fonseca, Antonio Fernández, Agustín López, Antonio Martínez, Diego Domínguez and Mayte Pavón.

A particularly symbolic moment was the meeting between Albert Fonseca, current Director of Technology at TMB, and Carmine Ianzano, responsible for the SWARCO system. Two “companions in battle” who, looking back, can say they have built something that has withstood time and change.

Let us go back 25 years. The world was different, technology as well. At that time, speaking about real-time monitoring meant working with distances traveled, heuristic stop recognition logics and analogue radio. No widespread GPS, no advanced digital networks. And yet, even then, the objective was clear: to know where the buses were, manage the service more efficiently and improve the passenger experience.

The story with TMB began in a somewhat “classic” way: a public tender won by an Italian-Spanish consortium (Italtel–SICE), within which SWARCO entered as the supplier of the public transport software. The project included everything: control centre, onboard equipment and radio network for telecommunications.

Over time, however, the scenario changed. Italtel left the project, SICE gradually stepped back, until it no longer had an operational role. SWARCO, on the other hand, remained. And not only did it remain: it became the reference technological partner, responsible for support, maintenance and, above all, the continuous evolution of the system.

It was during this phase that the transition from tag-based localization to GPS took place, and from analogue radio to digital radio. A gradual process, built carefully, which led to the stabilization of the system and to the development of that reliability which, over time, would become one of the distinctive features of TMB’s SAE.

Meanwhile, TMB also grew. Barcelona changed, expanded, and reinvented itself. The bus network evolved and, with it, the service philosophy changed: moving from a radial network to an XY network, more similar to the logic of the metro, with interchange stops designed to make the system more flexible and efficient.

In this new scenario, the SAE ceased to be a simple monitoring tool and effectively became the core system of operations. It is the operational reference point that makes it possible to manage an increasingly extensive, complex and dynamic network. The system was literally “pushed” to the maximum of its capabilities in order to keep pace with TMB’s requirements. And it succeeded. Not because it is immutable, but precisely because it is flexible, scalable and designed to evolve over time.

At the same time, the onboard architecture evolved to accommodate new hardware and software equipment, often supplied by third parties, and the telecommunications system made a decisive technological leap with the transition to standard TETRA networks. This change ensured greater reliability, security and communication quality, and indispensable elements for a large-scale public transport service. The SAE grew together with the city. And like any good travelling companion, it learned to adapt to curves, unforeseen events and new destinations.

We thus arrive at the most modern phase, which we could define as that of digital maturity. The management of public transport services today can no longer be a collection of isolated systems. Integration, data sharing and an overall vision are required.

TMB is aware of this. It is within this context that the system entered a new phase of its evolution, becoming an integral part of TMB’s IT ecosystem. The information generated by the system is integrated with SAP, with planning systems, with operational management platforms and even with tools related to passenger communication and social media.

The SAE is no longer just a source of data, but an accessible, reliable information hub, perfectly integrated into TMB’s IT ecosystem. A system capable of interacting with the other company “main systems” and providing fundamental information for rapid and informed decision-making.

It has been exciting to describe the history that led SWARCO and TMB to this incredible collaboration, but behind every successful system there are always people. And this anniversary was also an opportunity to meet the present and the past of TMB.