Pilot project to test next-generation traffic management in Barcelona
Kapsch TrafficCom has won first prize in the fifth edition of the Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility Challenge.
With its AI-based traffic management project, called MATCAB (Multimodal AI Traffic Control Agent Barcelona), the company beat international competitors. The solution, which integrates with Kapsch TrafficCom’s EcoTrafiX platform, will now be put to the test in a pilot project in Barcelona, using artificial intelligence to optimize traffic-light phases in real time.
Backed by Barcelona City Council and Fira de Barcelona, the challenge sought innovative AI-based solutions capable of improving urban mobility, reducing emissions, and improving quality of life. Special attention was paid to intelligent road-signaling systems that can continuously adapt to changing traffic conditions, while at the same time balancing the needs of all road users.
"Barcelona is setting the pace in sustainable urban mobility and innovation," said Juan Zamakona, General Director for the Iberian Peninsula at Kapsch TrafficCom. "We are proud that MATCAB has been recognized as the winning solution. By combining AI with existing infrastructure, cities can improve mobility for pedestrians, public transport users, cyclists, and drivers, while making transport networks safer, more inclusive, sustainable and efficient."
Real-time traffic management instead of fixed traffic light synchronization plans
MATCAB replaces conventional, static traffic-light synchronization plans with an AI-based adaptive system. It combines data from multimodal sensors and traffic simulation to continuously optimize the operation of traffic lights based on current traffic conditions. The final location of the pilot test will be selected jointly with Barcelona City Council at the beginning of the project.
The system is designed to balance the needs of the different users of the public road, including pedestrians, public transport, cyclists, micromobility users, and private vehicles. Developed jointly with CENIT, the innovation unit of the Catalan engineering center CIMNE, this solution represents the first time that Kapsch TrafficCom combines comprehensive sensor data and artificial intelligence to improve traffic for the benefit of all public road users.
Road safety from design
Road safety, and in particular the protection of vulnerable road users, is an important objective of the project. Critical safety parameters, such as pedestrians’ crossing times, the priority of emergency vehicles, and regulatory safety restrictions, remain under deterministic control and cannot be altered by the artificial intelligence system.
In addition, each change proposed by the AI agents is first validated in a digital twin of the road network before being implemented on the ground. Any adjustment can be reversed at any time.
Tangible benefits for mobility and the environment
During the pilot phase, MATCAB aims to reduce average waiting times for pedestrians by at least five percent, improve the reliability of public transport and travel times, and reduce episodes of severe congestion by at least ten percent. These improvements are expected to help reduce emissions, improve air quality, and make more efficient use of existing infrastructure.
Through MATCAB, Kapsch TrafficCom and CENIT aim to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can help cities move beyond static traffic management and advance toward a dynamic, multimodal approach that improves mobility for all.
More information: Press - Kapsch TrafficCom
Kapsch TrafficCom is a globally recognized provider of traffic solutions for sustainable mobility, with successful projects in more than 50 countries. Its innovative solutions in the areas of tolling and traffic management contribute to a healthy world without traffic congestion.
With comprehensive solutions, the company covers the entire value chain for customers, from components and design to the implementation and operation of the systems.
Kapsch TrafficCom, headquartered in Vienna, has subsidiaries and branches in more than 25 countries and is listed on the main market segment of the Vienna Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: KTCG). In the 2025/26 fiscal year, its approximately 2,700 employees generated revenue of 431 million euros.