CE4CE group picture in Szeged in 2023
Project overview
Public Transport Infrastructure in Central Europe – facilitate transitioning to circular economy
Public transport helps to lower emissions but it is still resource- and waste-intensive in itself. The CE4CE project reduces the ecological footprint of public transport through a higher circularity. The partners identify circularity gaps and develop innovative circular economy models for planners and operators. They provide guidance on how to incorporate circular economy principles into procurement processes for services and infrastructure and design more circular products and business models.
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2,73m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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6
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Countries
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8
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Regions
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11
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Partners
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6
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
The CE4CE project empowers circular economy system thinking for actors in public transport from Central European countries to reduce waste and create value along new life cycles of infrastructure and rolling stock. To do so, CE4CE jointly develops solutions that increase knowledge and capacities for the sector, help reduce barriers and costs, and initiate the development of new services and skilled jobs, as well as strategies and action plans that improve policy development, learning and exchange on the regional and transnational level. CE4CE aims at bringing circular economy principles into the public transport sector and, thus, reduce waste, increase efficiency in the sector and improve the ecological footprint of public transport.
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Leipzig Public Transport Company
Infrastructure
Project partner
Total partner budget
120,260 €
Higher Economics School
Total partner budget
185,420 €
Total partner budget
297,794 €
Total partner budget
274,000 €
Total partner budget
167,580 €
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture
Total partner budget
200,000 €
Total partner budget
191,500 €
Total partner budget
175,390 €
Total partner budget
181,520 €
Total partner budget
240,800 €
Roadmap
1
Context
Tram in the city of Leipzig, photo: Mobilissimus
CE4CE addresses challenges related to the need to support circular design and create circular economy related strategies and action plans to reduce environmental degradation and the impact of climate change in the public transport sector. Regarding the basic circular principles “reduce, reuse, use longer, recycle” many countries are still lagging behind European average.
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Identified problems
Stakeholders from the public transport sector in Central Europe face the problem of understanding the benefits to applying circular economy principles, identifying circularity gaps in transport infrastructure, energy and rolling stock.
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Our challenge
CE4CE embeds circular economy principles in public transport to reduce waste and identify circularity gaps. The goal is to break the unsustainable linear patterns of production and consumption (take-make-use-dispose) by integrating circular principles (reduce, reuse, use longer, recycle) to improve the sustainability of public transport.
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Solutions
LVB Pilot
CE4CE aims for a comprehensive circular system thinking approach for the public transport sector, and thus, the project will do a lot of pioneering work and produce numerous first-of-its-kind innovations, such as the Circularity Compass, the Knowledge platform, jointly developed circular strategies and action plans and testing pilots for a circular public transport.
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
The CE4CE competence map, credits: CE4CE project
Public Transport Circularity Knowledge Platform (output O 1.2)
The CE4CE project has unveiled a groundbreaking knowledge platform designed to foster the adoption of circular economy principles in public transportation systems. The platform, a key output of the project, is designed to identify circularity gaps and life-cycle actors, enable knowledge transfer, and showcase selected lifecycle value chains.
Type of output: Solutions
View solution
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Strategy to capture and optimize use of waste energy and renewable energy sources along new life cycle value chains (output O 2.1)
The transnational strategy formulates a joint vision and objectives to influence hard (material, technology, infrastructure) and soft factors (management practices, human preferences, cultural practices) to optimise energy use by recapturing waste energy and increasing the share of locally produced renewable energy sources (RES) in public transport operations along new life cycle value chains.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Strategy to add and recapture value and optimise delivery of public transport infrastructure along new life cycle value chains (output O 2.2)
The transnational strategy formulates a joint vision and objectives to influence hard (material, technology, infrastructure) and soft factors (management practices, human preferences, cultural practices) to add and recapture value and optimise delivery of public transport infrastructure based on new life cycle value chains.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Strategy to add & recapture value and optimise delivery of rolling stock / vehicles along new life cycle value chains (output O 2.3)
The transnational strategy formulates a joint vision and objectives to influence hard (material, technology, infrastructure) and soft factors (management practices, human preferences, cultural practices) to add & recapture value and optimise delivery of vehicles/rolling stock in public transport operations.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Action Plan to capture and use waste energy from trains, charge used batteries with renewable energy sources along new life cycle value chains based on municipal circular economy strategy and urban regeneration plan in Maribor (output O 2.4)
Jointly developed action plan to showcase adaptation of transnational strategy to optimize use of waste energy & renewable energy sources in public transport operations to regional planning
context (Municipality of Maribor) with prioritized clusters of measures, related requirements for infra, technology, competence, information, and knowledge, agreed on
with life-cycle actors & stakeholders (including opportunities for value creation, finance, stakeholder and supply chain management, procurement, cost, time, risks and dependency implications).
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Action Plan to optimise delivery of infrastructure through minimal invasive maintenance work in Leipzig (output O 2.5)
Jointly developed action plan to showcase adaptation of transnational strategy to preserve value of infrastructure in public transport operations to regional planning context (LVB - public transport company in Leipzig) with prioritized clusters of measures and related requirements for infra, technology, competence, information, and knowledge, agreed on with life-cycle actors and stakeholders (including opportunities for value creation, finance, stakeholder and supply chain management, procurement, cost, time, risks and dependency implications).
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Action Plan to optimise delivery of infrastructure by cooperation and sharing between public transport service providers as update of municipal strategy for electromobility in Gdynia (output O 2.6)
Jointly developed action plan to showcase local adaptation of transnational strategy to preserve value of infrastructure in public transport operations to regional context (PKA - bus operator in Gdynia, Universiy of Gdynia) with prioritized clusters of measures and related requirements for infra, technology, competence, information, and knowledge, agreed on
with life-cycle actors and stakeholders (including opportunities for value creation, finance, stakeholder and supply chain management, procurement,cost, time,risks and dependency implications).
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Action Plan to add value on the forward supply chain and optimise delivery of vehicles by circular procurement in Bergamo (output O 2.7)
Jointly developed action plan to showcase local adaptation of transnational strategy to preserve value of rolling stock & vehicles in public transport operations to regional context (ATB - public transport company in Bergamo) with prioritized clusters of measures and related requirements for infra, technology, competence, information, and knowledge, agreed on with life-cycle actors and stakeholders (including opportunities for value creation, finance, stakeholder and supply chain management, procurement, cost, time, risks and dependency implications).
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Modules for predictive maintenance of infrastructure and rolling stock (output O 3.2)
Linked to output O3.1 - Digital infrastructure and vehicle optimization through predictive maintenance in Leipzig, prototype modules for predictive maintenance 1) infrastructure 2) fleet as process related and technical solution which is applied, e.g., to a section of infrastructure/fleet in order to roll out the methodology to the entire network in a further step. Transferability to other organisations is enabled via specification of standardized interfaces, data formats, parameters, demonstration of operational dependencies and methodology to create damage catalogue and impact analysis.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Circular business planning tool for electrified public transport fleets and infrastructure (output O 3.4)
Linked to output O.3.3 - Simulation of e-corridor, energy flows to stimulate circular scenarios for electrification upscaling (bus-lane, supply by electric and IMC) in Gdynia, tool to assess value & costs of actions to increase lifetime of infra, vehicles & optimise energy use.
a) design of energy management scenarios, with inputs from other activities related to investment costs & hypotheses on lifecycle of fleets and
infrastructure;
b) development of a cost-benefit analysis model, integrating internal (increased lifetime) and external (environmental) benefits. Solution will be enriched with impact assessment elements (economic and societal).
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Definition of uptake criteria to re-use trolleybus switches (output O 3.6)
Linked to O.3.5 - Demonstrate the feasibility to re-use trolleybus switches in Szeged, evaluation document with criteria for use and actions other trolleybus service providers need to take for uptake of solution to reuse heavyily used switches at specific locations in their trolleybus system as specified in the evaluation document. Dissemination will take place via Trolley:motion for future extension of the activity.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Develop transferable business models for re-use of batteries to store renewable energy sources in public transport systems (output O 3.8)
Linked to O.3.7 - Analysis of used batteries application to store renewable energy sources for powering a fast-charger as example for strategic orientation towards circularity in Maribor, a business model based on reusable batteries is developed, based on collaboration with other life cycle actors along defined new life cycle value chains. As a basis for the small-scale pilot both partners University of Maribor and Municipality of Maribor will also tackle legal barriers and propose recommendations of required standards to be changed.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Source: https://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/ArticleImages/20188242178718_image.jpg
Online second-hand and match-making market for used parts, products and information-sharing to crowdsource circular product-design based on information-sharing (output O 3.10)
Linked to O3.9, an online second-hand market /match-making place is developed to crowd-source information needed to adapt the developed door opening and closing control mechanism for trams and also to other critical parts. While in this case, specific information is crowdsourced for this specific tram part, the solution generally aims at enabling information-sharing between public transport life cycle actors to create specific needed circular services and product designs.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Project documents
Newsletter
Interreg CE4CE Newsletter #1
Interreg CE4CE newsletter #1, December 2023
Interreg CE4CE newsletter#2
Interreg CE4CE Newsletter#2
Project images
CE4CE
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