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Mobility

Summary highlights of our performance in 2024

2024 was a successful year for Mobility, as we continued to deliver strongly for our key clients and won major new multi-year projects which set us up for success in 2025 and beyond. We’ve also made progress on diversifying our project portfolio to include more asset and operational management work, incorporating leading digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software solutions.

Three major multi-year project wins

Across our pursuits in 2024 we demonstrated strong credentials and expertise in decarbonization and sustainability, presenting ideas to minimize carbon and looking holistically at whole-of-life costs. Arcadis’ teams in different countries came together to win three major multi-year projects through a truly global, collaborative effort – and our success highlights positive results from our global work sharing and major projects initiative.

Enhancing resilience and efficiency with digital solutions

Our clients are increasingly looking for data driven insights to improve the efficiency of their programs and assets.

Synergistic opportunities across the GBA's, in particular with Intelligence, continue to drive growth. By the end of 2024, our Intelligent Asset Insights (IAI) product was being implemented in the Netherlands, Canada, and across six US states. IAI uses automated data collection and advanced data analytics methods with AI to monitor and track assets and generate insights to optimize the asset life cycle and its maintenance.

For bridges, one of the most complex assets to inspect with accuracy, we offer Bridge Health – a detailed bridge inspection service using AI and machine learning. Bridge Health was the winner of the Innovation of Bridge Inspections Award at the 2024 NCE Bridges Awards. In 2024 we worked with National Highways UK who have approximately 22,000 structural Assets in their remit. Using our Bridge Health Service we implemented drone technology, acoustic monitoring combined with AI to identify defects in the structure. The outcome of using this technology is a smarter, safer and more efficient method to manage assets.

In rail, we also have technology that can help us detect signal failures and overhead power issues before they occur, significantly reducing delays. This is deployed through Asset Rail – a joint venture in the Netherlands delivering performance-based asset maintenance.

  • Hudson River Tunnel, New York, US. As part of the joint venture Mace-Parsons-Arcadis (MPA Delivery Partners), we’ve been selected as the delivery partner for this USD $16 billion project. We will help improve the capacity, reliability, and resiliency of commuter and intercity rail transit on the busiest section of the Northeast Corridor, which serves 800,000 daily passengers from Washington DC to New York, New Jersey, and New England. Sustainability and community engagement are strong themes for our client, Gateway Development Corporation, with environmental, social, and economic sustainability woven throughout every phase of their project packages for the Hudson Tunnel Project.

  • Fraser River Tunnel, Vancouver, Canada. Arcadis will help deliver the CAD $4.15 billion Fraser River Tunnel Project as Design and Engineering Consultant to the Cross Fraser Partnership consortium. The new eight-lane, immersed-tube tunnel will replace the existing George Massey Tunnel on Highway 99 and promote more sustainable travel by featuring a dedicated public transit lane in each direction and a separate multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists. To realize this project, we are bringing together the best of Arcadis from across the business. Mobility Canada is working in partnership with Mobility colleagues in the Netherlands, where Arcadis has significant immersed-tube tunnelling expertise, and we’re also bringing in contributions from across all GBAs, spanning ten countries. The project will ultimately improve travel times, alleviate congestion, enhance safety, and support local economic growth by increasing connections in the region.

  • Torrens to Darlington (T2D), Adelaide, Australia. As part of the T2D Alliance, we will deliver this AUD $15.4 billion project with 10.5km of non-stop motorway between the River Torrens and Darlington, completing the 78km North-South Corridor. The project will provide safe and efficient journeys for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, connect open spaces and recreational facilities, and unlock economic opportunities and growth for South Australia.

Our pioneering platform for data collaboration, DynDash™ , has also transformed key European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) projects in the Netherlands by integrating the various complex dimensions of rail design – making data visualization, manipulation and verification fast, effortless and accessible.

These solutions bring together digital and human innovation, with our talented Arcadians working closely with clients to meet their goals. That includes net zero and sustainability goals, as these solutions can help minimize carbon emissions, improve efficiency and enhance asset lifecycles.

Our big project wins in 2024 are testament to how we’re coming together as a global team and making the most of the huge talent and digital capability we have within Mobility.

   Greg Steele, GBA President, Mobility

Market dynamics and opportunities

This is an exciting time in the transport and mobility sector, as countries and cities look to the future while tackling the challenges of the present – including decarbonization, network reliability, ageing infrastructure, and the complexities of modern cities. Amid many uncertainties, there are a multitude of opportunities Mobility can seize by being agile and leveraging our global workforce and skills.

Decarbonization of the transport sector

The economic drivers behind decarbonization remain intact, continuing to drive investment and reinforcing the momentum towards a low-carbon future. Notably, there has been a significant swing into transit such as rail and trams, and active mobility including walking and cycling, in order to reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life in urban areas.  

In the highway space, there is a notable trend towards using technology and intelligent transport systems to maximize efficiency, increase safety and improve the overall user experience. Different countries and cities are at very different stages in rolling out electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and incentivizing EV uptake, but in some regions we’re now seeing these two areas coming together. More futuristically, some cities are really getting ready not just for autonomous vehicles, but also for advanced air mobility (AAM). That’s something we’re already involved with in San Diego, where we are developing the city’s policy for AAM and Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL), helping the client think through all of the potential implications of these new mobility modes and their interfaces with other systems.

In the ports and maritime sector, we are seeing a particularly strong – and collaborative – move towards decarbonization, with the whole shipping industry in support, even if the financial costs of the transition are enormous. We're already working with clients including DP World to dramatically cut their energy consumption, improve efficiencies, and reach their sustainability ambitions.

Political change, regional dynamics

Elections and changes of government in the US, UK, Belgium, France and the Netherlands led to a period of uncertainty in 2024, leading to some delays in decision making on public sector projects. As a result, we’ve seen weaker markets in some countries (including the UK and Australia) and stronger growth markets in others (such as Canada).

Different countries are also at different stages with their infrastructure renewal needs. In Australia the last two decades have brought a lot of new transport infrastructure, so the need for further projects is not as strong. By contrast, the US and Germany are on an upswing, because they’re having to invest in addressing their aging assets. The UK also has aging transit infrastructure that urgently needs investment to make it fit for purpose, and we are cautiously hopeful for an uplift in that market in 2025. In the Netherlands, the slowdown in infrastructure projects is more related to restrictions on nitrogen emissions, a situation we continue to monitor as it develops – while in Canada, demand is driven partly by the needs of a growing population.

With these dynamics in mind, we see an opportunity for Mobility to strengthen its business in North America, being agile about how we use our global workforce. Secondly, as new governments come in, we can open conversations to help them understand their infrastructure challenges and potential solutions.

Shifting to asset and operations management

Many countries are grappling with how to get the most out of their existing transportation infrastructure. Cities are facing complex challenges as urban populations grow and place greater strains on their transit systems. Public sector bodies seek ways to manage their mobility infrastructure more efficiently and cost-effectively, and more sustainably – minimizing negative environmental impacts such as emissions and air pollution. From 2025 the Yarra Journey Makers joint venture (comprising Transdev and John Holland) will be using our Enterprise Decision Analytics (EDA) software - a cross-GBA product in collaboration with Intelligence - to optimize maintenance and operational spend on the Yarra Trams network in Melbourne.

Considering these dynamics together, we see a large-scale, long-term opportunity to shift our portfolio towards clients’ operating expenditure (OpEx) rather than capital expenditure (CapEx). Not only will this meet the needs of our clients – current and future – but it will also ensure a steady stream of revenue for our business. Many of the solutions we can offer our clients include smart deployment of digital products and services, for this, thanks to our new operational organization, we will work in full integration with our colleagues from the Intelligence GBA in our new Intelligent Mobility Services (IMS) business, to ensure digital solutions are natively embedded in our approach, alongside our strategic advisory services and our technical offering.