Digitization and co-construction for a sustainable mobility in Halifax (Canada)

In 2015 the Port of Halifax started to work on an infrastructure plan aiming at building a competitive future for the Port including the possibility to welcome the next generation of ever larger container vessels. Consulted in 2016, the inhabitants and the broader port community were supporting the need for maximizing the Port’ growth potential, but they also expressed their concerns regarding Port truck traffic through downtown Halifax. This is a challenge directly linked to the goal 3 about Sustainable mobility of the AIVP Agenda 2030. Since then, the Port of Halifax has implemented several initiatives to reduce truck traffic on downtown streets. For example, the CN intermodal terminal where cargo has been taken off the highway and put onto rail, or the planned connection between two container terminals by rail. But another key strategy is the digitization of the Port launched in 2018. We are going to focus on this digitization strategy here. The Port of Halifax has been a member of AIVP since 2018 AIVP – In June 2018 you have launched the first phase of your "Port Operations Center", a digital tool for sharing real-time information with your customers and the community, notably trucking companies and cargo owners. This initiative was awarded by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in their Information Technology Awards program. You also implemented the Terminal Traffic Monitoring system, for which you also received the Intelligent Transportation Systems Canada award in 2019. Could tell us a bit more about these tools, and how you evaluate their impacts since then? Lane Farguson, Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Halifax Port Authority – At the Port of Halifax, we are very focused on data reliability and transparency. The Port Operations Centre on the Port of Halifax website has become a critical digital tool for the sharing of real-time information with customers and the larger community, especially now as we fluidity and terminal status updates. Now more than ever it is critical that we demonstrate our efficiency and reliability. Shippers and cargo owners can find up-to-the minute information on terminal gate metrics, weekly dwell time, predictive air gap, arrivals and departures, and special alerts. We have been working closely with our terminal operators and CN Rail on this initiative. The Terminal Traffic Monitoring System shows wait times and truck service times…