Month: November 2025

After the strong momentum of MATIS 1, Europe is accelerating again: MATIS 2 (Mediterranean Atlantic Intelligent Transport System) has officially kicked off under the Connecting Europe Facility – Transport (CEF-T) program. Backed by a substantial €85.1 million budget — with the European Union financing half — this 47-month project is set to transform mobility across Southern and Western Europe.

Uniting Europe’s road operators for smarter mobility
MATIS 2 brings together an impressive alliance of 31 road operators from France, Italy, Spain (with fresh partnerships from the Basque Country), and Portugal. Their mission: roll out 59 forward-looking projects along four major TEN-T corridors — Mediterranean, Atlantic, North Sea–Mediterranean, and Baltic–Adriatic.
This collaboration spans more than 16,000 km of road networks, forming a real-life laboratory where advanced ITS and C-ITS technologies will be deployed at scale. The ambition is bold: build roads that are not only safer and smarter, but also cleaner, more resilient, and ready for the mobility of tomorrow.

Transforming everyday travel
Through MATIS 2, European drivers and passengers will experience concrete improvements, such as:
• enhanced safety in tunnels thanks to state-of-the-art monitoring systems,
• faster and more reliable detection of incidents and hazards,
• smoother traffic flow and reduced congestion,
• support for multimodal journeys and greener travel choices,
• stronger cybersecurity and more robust digital infrastructure,
• accelerated deployment of C-ITS paving the way for automated vehicles.
By pushing innovation forward and strengthening cross-border cooperation, MATIS 2 is shaping the foundations of a more connected, efficient, and sustainable European mobility ecosystem.
Europe is on the move — and MATIS 2 is leading the way.

The 2025 edition of the IBTTA Tolling Summit, an international event bringing together leaders in mobility and traffic management, took place in Lyon from 14 to 16 September.

During this industry event, MATIS had the opportunity to present ATLANDES’s “New Column Parking” project, implemented on the A63 motorway. Integrated as one of the MATIS Highlights, this initiative embodies how intelligent infrastructure and European collaboration can work together to enhance road safety.

After an overview of the MATIS project presented by Alessandra Pipitone Federico, Olivier Quoy, CEO of Atlandes, gave a presentation of the Smart Truck Parking project itself.

He highlighted how innovative parking management and real-time data analysis can enhance traffic flow and optimise the use of existing infrastructure. By leveraging digital technologies and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), the “New Column Parking” project offers a 40% increased capacity, with minimal infrastructure civil works. It also reinforces driver safety using electronic equipment such as gantry systems, lights indicating parking availability, parking distribution and surveillance systems, and electronic access control barriers.

The strong engagement from the audience validated the relevance of this approach, focused on operational performance, sustainability and user safety.

MATIS extends its warm thanks to the IBTTA for providing this platform for international exchange and visibility, as well as to all participants for their valuable contributions and inspiring discussions. This presentation once again highlighted MATIS’s role as a key European player in smart mobility innovation and the digitalisation of road infrastructure.

 

After MATIS project Steering Committee, the team had the opportunity to visit the Traffic Control Centre and the Future Road Lab of Abertis, a key partner of the project.

The tour offered a behind-the-scenes look at how traffic is managed in real time across the infrastructures operated by Abertis and Aucat. Inside the control centre, the team was able to see how innovations, cutting-edge digital tools and real-time data are used to anticipate critical situations and optimize network management to ensure smoother, safer journeys.

The Future Road Lab, a true laboratory for ideas and experimentation, embodies Abertis’ ambition to rethink road infrastructures in the age of connected and sustainable mobility.

This visit was also an opportunity for rich discussions about the challenges of digital transformation and the central role of innovation in managing the infrastructures of tomorrow. At the centre of those discussions were two major applications:

• AWAI, launched by Autopistas, a subsidiary of Abertis Group in Spain, which enables users to pay their toll fees via Bluetooth and sends alerts to the driver.
• Pharos, which supports next-generation traffic flow management and enhances operational planning.

The visit further strengthened the collaboration between the partners of the MATIS project, united by a shared ambition: to contribute to building a smarter, safer and more sustainable mobility ecosystem.

Created in 2003, Abertis has become one of the world’s leading high-capacity, high-quality motorway operators. The company manages today around 8,000 kilometres of roads in 15 countries across Europe, America and Asia.