Sustainability is a key aspect of mobility. If people switch from cars to public transport or cycling, CO₂ emissions, noise and air pollution will decrease. Optimising traffic flows can help to make public transport and non-motorised transport more attractive and, in turn, promote sustainability. With this in mind, the City of Winterthur has set itself the goal of transforming Grüze railway station into a multimodal mobility hub. The aim is to ensure that public transport, infrastructure and alternative mobility options, such as bike-sharing schemes and e-scooters, are coordinated and integrated with one another.
The planned mobility hub is of great interest to the research community, as it serves as a real-world laboratory, providing insights into specific challenges and solutions that may also be applicable elsewhere. The Institute for Data Science at the ZHAW School of Engineering is therefore creating a so-called digital twin of the future Grüze railway station. The research project is part of the Horizon Europe project MOVEO (Intelligent Framework for Inclusive and Seamless Transport Infrastructure and Mobility Services), in which the ZHAW has participated as an associated partner since 2025.
Nicolai Mallig
Lecturer at the Institute for Data Science (IDS)
“Sometimes, traffic jams appear in the simulation at locations where you would not expect them. When that happens, we know there is still an error in the model.”
Simulation helps identify errors
The MOVEO project team began its work last autumn. “During the first phase, we modelled passenger flows and transfer movements and tested the infrastructure’s capacity,” says Claudio Gomez, who is leading the ZHAW’s contribution to the overall European MOVEO project. “Among other things, we have analysed where problems might arise at stairs and lifts,” Gomez continues. Particular attention was paid to access for people with reduced mobility.
According to Nicolai Mallig, one of the biggest challenges of the first stage lay in modelling pedestrian routes. The transport engineer joined the team in January. “Sometimes, traffic jams appear in the simulation at locations where you would not expect them. When that happens, we know there is still an error in the model. This is where visualisation helps us identify those errors,” says Mallig. “Only once all errors have been resolved and the behaviour is realistic can the analysis begin,” Mallig continues.
Synergies with urban development
The idea of modelling Grüze originated with Vicente Carabias-Hütter. He heads the Sustainable Energy Systems and Smart Cities research area at the ZHAW and is responsible for the Smart City Winterthur project at the city’s Office for Urban Development. In this dual role, he recognised the synergies between the planned mobility hub, the MOVEO project and Winterthur’s smart city strategy. According to Gomez, however, the Grüze model is being developed independently of the city authorities. “We are in regular contact and the city helps us obtain data. For example, it gives us access to camera data so that we can anonymously record bicycle traffic volumes,” says Gomez.
Claudio Gomez
Lecturer at the Institute for Data Science (IDS)
“We are in regular contact and the city helps us obtain data. For example, it gives us access to camera data so that we can anonymously record bicycle traffic volumes.”
Optimised bus connections
The second phase of the project will focus on modelling traffic around Grüze. “Using mathematical optimisation methods, we will develop new route concepts for the bus services connecting Grüze station,” explains Nicolai Mallig. The model already includes the two platforms planned for Grüze Nord station, even though they have not been built yet. “This scenario involves greater complexity, making it both more challenging and interesting to model,” Mallig continues. In a further step, algorithms will be tested to coordinate bus arrival and departure times with the suburban rail timetable in order to minimise waiting periods.
A bridge and open questions
The digital twin of Grüze is intended to support the development of concepts and methods for planning multimodal transport hubs. The insights generated from the model could, however, also have a positive impact on the completion of the mobility hub itself. Well-founded knowledge is particularly important now that the 400-metre-long Leonie-Moser Bridge has been completed. The CHF 71 million structure forms a key element of the planned transport hub. However, as it remains unclear when the planned Grüze Nord suburban rail station will be built, critics have raised concerns as to whether the transport hub will be able to realise its full potential without these additional platforms.
An ETH report submitted to the Federal Council recently downgraded the priority of the station project, thereby delaying completion of the transport hub. Findings from the second phase of the project could now contribute to discussions between the city and the federal government and help not only to pave the way towards sustainability, but also accelerate its implementation.
Header image: City of Winterthur / Marcus Schmid
