traffic

the ranking of the ports with the most traffic on the planet

by

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has forcefully reminded us of the importance of maritime trade: it moves approximately 80% of the volume of world trade, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Essential to that logistics chain are 20-foot-long container ports, measured in TEU (the acronym for Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), the standard unit of maritime transportation. So that we understand each other, TEUs are the currency with which port traffic is measured globally: the more TEUs, the more important they are in logistics and the world economy. Know where those ports are is, in reality, knowing who’s in charge in the global economy. And the map has a clear dominator. This graph created by Visual Capitalist is a ranking of the world’s 20 busiest container ports ordered by total cargo volume processed in a year from from the 2025 Lloyd’s List databaseone of the leading voices in the sector. The metric used to measure it is precisely the TEU, that metal box measuring 6.06 meters long × 2.44 meters wide × 2.59 meters high. Each bar on the graph is equivalent to tens of millions of these boxes moving through the planet’s oceans. In 2024, the 20 main ports in the world generated consolidated traffic of 414.6 million TEUs, 7.1% more than the previous year. Spoiler: 14 of those 20 ports are located in Asia. This Asian dominance is neither an accident nor by chance: it is the reflection of decades of accelerated industrialization, enormous investments in port infrastructure and the consolidation of Asia as the factory of the planet. AND who says Asia, says China: that Made in China that you find even in the soup. For you to see that silkscreen on an iPhone, on a shirt or on a lighter, the product in question had to cross half the world in a container to get here. The ports with the most container traffic in the world. Visual Capitalist with data from Lloyd’s China dominates manufacturing and maritime logistics China concentrates more than 40% of global container traffic. Of the six busiest ports in the world, five are in China. Above the rest, Shanghai stands out, which processed more than 51.5 million TEUs in 2024, quite far from the 41.14 million in Singapore, the second. The leadership of Shanghai is absolute: It has held that title for almost two decades and it alone moves more cargo than all the major European ports combined, to give us an idea of ​​its magnitude. In any case, the eight Chinese ports present in the Top 20 generated 55.6% of the combined traffic in the ranking. Special mention deserves the port of Hong Kong, a historic giant that has been the gateway to China for decades. Today is a victim both its own geography and the Chinese economic transformation: Pearl River Delta ports such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou have taken traffic away from it on the one hand. On the other hand, the rise of Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan has ended up relegating it until it disappears from the Top 10. This was rounded off by the reconfiguration of global shipping alliances, which began to replace Hong Kong as a hub with mainland ports with more capacity and lower operating costs. You have to get out of the Top 10 to find a port outside Asia. The first is Rotterdam, the bastion of maritime trade in Europe, which is in eleventh position with 13.8 million TEUs moved last year. Besides, had modest growth 2.8% compared to the previous year. The photograph of the old continent returns an image of residual influence: the accumulated traffic of the 10 main European ports reached just 65 million TEUs in 2024. If any past time seems better, it is because it was, at least in maritime trade. Obviously, colonization favored that flow (at least unidirectionally). More of the same in America: the busiest port is in Los Angeles and handles approximately 9.9 million TEUs: the Californian port is the gateway for trade from the Pacific, closely followed by Long Beach, with 9.1 million. The influence of America and Europe on maritime merchandise traffic is a clear reflection of their production structures, with relocation by flag. In Xataka | Africa has more than 30,000 kilometers of coastline and one country has managed to control them without anyone noticing: China In Xataka | Each lighthouse in Europe has a different light and flashing: this wonderful interactive map brings them all together Cover | Visual Capitalist

A gigantic tunnel boring machine 16 meters in diameter is devouring the sea floor under Genoa. It is your solution against traffic

by

Under the port of Genoa, the largest in Italy, there is a machine that aims to devour the sea floor meter by meter. And it does so from the bowels of the earth, 45 meters deep and without interrupting the traffic that passes above it every day. The key is a 16 meter diameter tunnel boring machine that is drilling into the seabed like butter. This is how Italy is solving one of its most entrenched mobility problems, and in the process building the first underwater tunnel of the history of the country. A problem that has been unsolved for decades. Genoa is a city trapped between the Mediterranean Sea and the foothills of the Apennines. It has no room to grow. Its historic center is a labyrinth of narrow streets, and east-west traffic has always been a headache. The solution adopted in the 1960s was to build a gigantic elevated highway, the Sopraelevata Aldo Moro, which crosses the city like a concrete scar. for her About 80,000 vehicles pass through each daybut at a high price: it blocks the view of the sea, generates constant noise and, for many citizens, is a barrier that separates the city from its own port. Its demolition has been stalled for years because no one knows what to do with that traffic in the meantime. Tragedy. The tunnel project was born from an agreement between Autostrade per l’Italia, the Italian Ministry of Transport and local administrations as compensation to the city after the collapse of the Morandi bridge in 2018. That collapse, which claimed 43 lives, left Genoa without one of its main accesses and put the highway concessionaire company under the spotlight. As part of the repair agreement, signed in October 2021, Autostrade per l’Italia, the Liguria Region, the Western Ligure Sea Port System Authority and the Municipality of Genoa agreed to build this underwater tunnel. It is, in practice, the great work of compensation for a city that suffered a tragedy. What is being built. The total route is 4.2 kilometers, of which 3.4 run under the sea floor. It will consist of two separate galleries, one in each direction, each 16 meters in diameter, and will reach a maximum depth of 45 meters below sea level. When completed, it is expected to be Italy’s first underwater tunnel, the largest in Europe (with pardon is being built between Germany and Denmark) and the fourth largest in the world by diameter. Next to nothing. The key: a Hydroshield TBM. Excavating under an active port without interrupting its activity is a monumental challenge. The solution is a TBM tunnel boring machine (Tunnel Boring Machine) Hydroshield type. Each of the two main galleries will be constructed by mechanized excavation with a Hydroshield type back-pressure armored TBM milling cutter, with an excavation diameter of approximately 16 meters. Why this type and not another? In a Hydroshield TBM, the balance in the excavation chamber is maintained through the pressure of water or bentonite slurrywhich stabilizes the excavation face. The extracted material is mixed with these sludge and transported to the surface through pipes. It is the ideal technology for unstable terrain with the presence of water: it allows you to continue drilling without the sea floor crumbling and without the sea entering the gallery. The port above is still working. The gallery measures 15.4 meters in diameter on the outside, but the useful space for circulation is somewhat less, 14.3 meters, because the walls are considerably thick. These walls are built by assembling prefabricated pieces of concrete, as if they were the staves of a giant barrel, joined together with screws and sealed with rubber gaskets so that water does not enter. As if that were not enough, an additional layer of concrete is added inside that further reinforces the impermeability, especially in the sections that are just below the port. The result is a practically airtight tube capable of withstanding the pressure of the sea on its walls. lto logistics of the work. You can’t just place a tunnel boring machine on the seabed and run it. First you have to prepare the ground. The tunnel boring machine was thrown from an attack pit in the San Benigno areaon the west side of the city. To free up that space, Autostrade first had to move a port railway line that ran through there. The railway route, about 700 meters long, has been moved about 70 meters to the south with respect to its previous position, running parallel to the port sopraelevata until passing under it in its final section. Deadlines. Preparation works started in 2023, and work began in March 2024. However, the full tender for the construction of the two main galleries was not approved until January 2026. The specifications set a period of 75 months to complete the entire work. According to the latest Autostrade documents, the TBM will complete excavation work in October 2030, with full completion of the work planned for 2031. Budget. The project started from a budget of 700 million euros, although the mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, confirmed that Autostrade now places the cost at more than 1,129 million euros. An escalation of costs that, according to the original agreement between the parties, is covered by a mechanism linked to national highway tolls. Transformation. When the tunnel is completed, it will allow the creation of new green areas (10 hectares, distributed in three public parks) and pedestrian routes that reconnect the city center with the sea. In the San Benigno area, on the new railway gallery already in use, the Lantern Park will be built, which will connect that sector with the city’s historic lighthouse through a bicycle and pedestrian path. In Xataka | Mexico touches the sky with a new and elegant skyscraper of 484 meters and 99 floors: it will be the tallest in all of Latin America

The traffic jams in Valencia are hell. And a bridge over the Turia aspires to resolve the chaos between the V-30 and the A-3

by

Traffic jams for miles and with a regularity that seems almost infallible. Valencia has a problem with traffic jams and the connection between the V-30 and the A-3 is one of the hot spots every morning. They explain in The Provinces that the growth of the city leaves 800,000 residents inside… surrounded by 800,000 residents of the surrounding towns. With some infrastructure built decades ago For a much smaller number of residents, roads and the main Valencian roads are clogged with an assiduity that punishes the neighbors day after day. But of all the roads, V-30 is the most marked. The road has problems along its entire length. The new port terminal anticipates more complications looking to the future but other hot spots such as the connection with the A-3 is one of the critical steps usually indicated. To begin to alleviate the situation, the Ministry of Transport has given the green light to the construction of a remodeling of the link between both roads to facilitate traffic between the A-3 and the V-30. A new bridge to alleviate the situation The Ministry of Transport has published approval for the action on the link between V-30 and A-3, which includes a lane expansion and the construction of a new bridge. In total, nine structures will be affected, of which six are newly built. The project will have a budget of 56 million euros (VAT included) and will try to unclog an area that is constantly overwhelmed, especially during peak hours. The remodeling, They explain on the ministry’s websitewill have the following interventions: New planned structures: Bridge parallel to the existing one over the Turia riverbed that will also serve to bridge the crossing over the V-30. Underpass at the A-3 junction and the Puerto-Madrid branch (2 structures). Cycle-pedestrian underpass under the Valencia-Puerto branch. Cycle-pedestrian walkway over the Valencia-Barcelona branch. Existing drinking water pipe protection structure. Planned expansions on existing structures: Expansion of the underpass of 9 d’Octubre Avenue. Extension of the pedestrian walkway over the branches: Madrid-Barcelona, ​​Puerto-Madrid and the V-30 service road. Expansion of the pedestrian walkway over the A-3. In the case of the action on the A-3, the road will be expanded to four lanes towards Madrid. These lanes will be available to drivers from the interchange to the airport access. The objective is to facilitate the flow of traffic on a link that, right now, has become a bottleneck. in the diary Levant They explain that the situation is so complicated that, like a domino effect, the traffic jam usually extends to the V-31 highway as drivers try to find some other alternative route to the junction that forms there. In addition, the expansion of the lanes is also good news in order to save the high volume of trucks that begin their journey in the city port and take this road to begin their route to Madrid. Right now, the volume of cars is so high that the traffic jam is not only found on the A-3 towards Madrid. The branch from V-30 requires a long turn that reduces the speed of the cars. Between an A-3 with very dense traffic and slow access, the right lane of the V-30 ends up suffering all the punishment, being completely collapsed during rush hour. In addition, the residents of Xirivella, next to the road, will have acoustic screens and trees installed to reduce the sound of traffic and mitigate the visual impact of the structures. This was a demand that citizens had been demanding for some time and that had not been executed. Photo | Google Maps and Ministry of Transportation In Xataka | The great dream of Tres Cantos and Colmenar Viejo literally passes over El Pardo: “close” the M-50

95% of intercontinental internet traffic goes through submarine cables. China has just proven that it can cut them at 3,500 meters

by

The world is connected through the “invisible”, almost omnipresent and seemingly omnipotent internet. But it turns out that 95% of data traffic runs through cables that, although not visible, are very tangible: the submarine fiber optic cables that run around the world. This strategic infrastructure is inherently vulnerable due to its vast extent in unmonitored environments. Until recently, threats were limited to random accidents in shallow waters, but sabotage are the order of the day. In this scenario, China has just marked a technical milestone that is a warning to sailors: has tried successfully a submarine cable cutter who plays in another league. Thus, it is capable of cutting with high precision and operating at depths of up to 3,500 meters. The tool. The system that China through its Haiyang Dizhi 2 scientific vessel is an electro-hydrostatic actuator (EHA), a compact device that integrates the hydraulic system, the electric motor and the control unit in a single piece, a combo that as explained The South China Morning Post allows you to get rid of the external oil pipe common in this type of system. The Ministry of Natural Resources of China explains for the Chinese media that last Saturday, April 15, its first mission in deep waters was carried out. This is not the first deep underwater cable cutter we have seen from China, in fact it has them to cut even deeper seabeds: the China Naval Scientific Research Center (CSSRC) and the State Key Laboratory of Deep Sea Manned Vehicles also developed a little over a year ago a vessel that uses a diamond coated grinding wheelcapable of operating at depths of 4,000 meters. Why is it important. We have already glimpsed in the intro that currently, practically the entire of intercontinental data traffic travels over submarine cables. He Center for Strategic and International Studies gives an example of its importance: in the financial environment, approximately 22 trillion dollars move per business day through these systems. Any disruption can unleash chaos on entire countries, leading to digital isolation, collapsing financial systems, degrading military capabilities… much more than a simple cyberattack. Underwater cables are inherently vulnerable due to their exposure and with these types of systems not even depth is a guarantee. Furthermore, repair at a depth of 3,500 meters is slow and expensive, requiring specific vessels that are not plentiful. context. Since 2024, China and its vessels have become common suspects in cases of alleged sabotage. Two examples: is in the Baltic and is in waters near Taiwan. These events have generated growing concern in NATO on the security of these essential undersea cables from hybrid warfare tactics. China, for its part, justifies this development as part of its scientific research and deep-sea mining program through the Chinese Academy of Sciences: the ability to cut cables is necessary for the recovery of stuck equipment, cleaning marine debris, and preparing the seabed for deep-sea mining. However, it is inevitable to think about the duality of its functions. chow they do it. In 2020, a team of engineers from Lishui University, in the coastal province of Zhejiang, opposite Taiwan, developed a device for cutting underwater cables by drag (one of several patents in recent years made in China) and in the patent application The team said that “The traditional cutting method requires first detecting the position of the cables, then excavating and recovering them to cut them. The process is complex, a lot of expensive equipment is needed, and the cost is too high. A fast and low-cost cutting device for submarine cables is needed to perform this task.” These new tools seek to solve this as they operate directly on the cable on the seabed without the need for extraction. In the 30-day mission of the Haiyang Dizhi 2 vessel, in addition to testing the cutting tool, they also tested an autonomous underwater vehicle called Hai Ma, recovered 16 self-developed measurement probes and deployed China’s first deep-sea winch with 11,000 meters of coaxial cable. Yes, but. The fact that there are patents and tests on tools to cut marine cables at great depth and efficiency does not mean that they have been used in these incidents, although it does indicate an interest in cutting them. China has a known official position, as we saw last year when a similar tool came to the fore. At that time Liu Pengyu, declared that the device is used in marine scientific research and that both the United States and several European countries have similar technology. Likewise, it highlighted the importance that China gives to protecting underwater infrastructure and its commitment to the international community to protect them. In Xataka | The submarine cables belonged to the teleoperators, and now the big technology companies are controlling them In Xataka | The first great Atlantic submarine cable that connected us to the internet says goodbye for a simple reason: it was too expensive to repair it Cover | seatools and CCTV

240 km without curves, in the middle of the desert and with truck traffic

by

Imagine driving for more than two hours without turning the steering wheel even a single degree. No curves, no noticeable slopes, no changes on the horizon. That is the reality of Highway 10 (Highway 10) of Saudi Arabia, which holds the Guinness record as the longest straight road on the planet with a completely linear section of 240 kilometers. A highway born for a king. Highway 10 stretches 1,480 kilometers from Ad Darb to the border with the United Arab Emirates, but it is its segment between Haradh and Al Batha that has received all the attention. The road was originally built as a private road for King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, although today it has become a fundamental artery for the transport of goods between the center and west of the country with the Emirates. The Empty Quarter desert as a setting. The road crosses the Rub’ al Khaliknown as the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. The area itself explains why it is possible to build such a straight line: there are no mountains to surround, valleys to cross or geographical features to avoid. Just sand and more sand as far as the eye can see. The infrastructure is completely paved and has mainly two lanes in each direction, supporting intense truck traffic that crosses the desert. Speed ​​limits adjusted for heavy traffic. The maximum speed allowed on this highway varies depending on the type of vehicle: passenger cars can travel up to 120 km/h on fast sections, buses 100 km/h and trucks 80 km/h. Although in 2018 were announced Upper limits of up to 140 km/h for light vehicles in certain sections, the constant presence of heavy transport makes maintaining these speeds complicated in practice. A mental challenge more than a physical one. Believe it or not, driving on the straightest road in the world is not as easy as it seems, especially due to fatigue. The monotony of the desert landscape and the total absence of visual stimuli can cause drowsiness and even a dangerous disconnection while driving. Added to this is the occasional threat of camels wandering across the road. So, although the route is ‘easy’ to handle, mentally it can become a nightmare. Not for nothing is it found in Dangerous Roads website. Reinforced security measures. Aware of the risks involved in driving on such a monotonous road, the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics has implemented various improvements safety features, including paved shoulders, reflective pavement markings (known as “cat’s eyes”), protective barriers, kilometer signs, and directional and warning signs. Here the driver’s attention must be vital, especially on a road with so few changes. Other legendary straights. Before Highway 10 snatched the title, the Australia’s Eyre Highway boasted the record with a 146 kilometer straight stretch through the Nullarbor Desert. Although almost 100 kilometers shorter, this Australian road remains one of the most unique driving experiences on the continent. Also noteworthy are roads such as ND-46 in North Dakotathe United States, or some sections of the Argentine Route 40which although they do not compete in length of absolute straightness and offer a great variety of landscape that softens the eye, also encompasses endless kilometers of monotonous movement. Cover image | City Vibes In Xataka | Yes, the V16 beacons transmit your position in the event of an accident. No, the DGT cannot “spy” on you with them A version of this article was published in 2025

We are not used to seeing traffic cones that place themselves. They are already testing them in China

by

A traffic cone that rolls out of the emergency vehicle alone, is placed in position and forms a safety perimeter before any operator has set foot on the asphalt. It is not a scene that we usually see in our parts, but the truth is that in China they are already testing it and its operation is tremendously interesting. What is happening. Emergency teams in China are testing autonomous traffic cones capable of securing the perimeter of an accident in less than ten seconds. Such as describe Marc Theermann, director of strategy at Boston Dynamics, in a post on LinkedIn, these robots leave directly from the emergency vehicle and move alone to their position, forming a safety barrier without any operator having to cross the road. They can be activated remotely or operate completely autonomously. Click on the image to go to the post The hook: the safety of the operators. Placing cones by hand on a road with active traffic is a truly dangerous task for operators in charge of road maintenance, or those carrying out work on the road. The idea with this technology is simply to eliminate or reduce as much as possible the human presence in the most vulnerable phase of any road intervention. How they work. Researchers from the Center for Research in Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes of Pontevedra (CINTECX) published a study in 2025 in the magazine Infrastructures that described the design and validation of its “Remotely Piloted Safety Cone”, a robotic system with a similar architecture. The device combines autonomous GPS navigation with RTK correction (a high-precision positioning system), odometry sensors, an inertial measurement unit and ultrasonic obstacle detection. All of this managed by an autopilot and an on-board computer that coordinates movement in real time. The results of the study showed that the most precise configuration managed to stay less than 20 centimeters from the planned route, a more than acceptable margin for this type of operations. Faster than by hand. According to that same studythe estimated placement time per cone with this system is around three seconds, compared to the seven or eight seconds it takes on average for a human operator. In an intervention that requires dozens of cones, the difference is quite significant, especially if this is then combined with systems that can be placed simultaneously and not one after another. And also at night. Best of all, the task can also make it much easier to place cones when there is barely any visibility. And the robotic cones incorporate lighting, something basic for any type of emergency road signage. In Spain we already propose the “less intelligent” version. After the V16 beaconswhich have given a lot to talk about (more for the bad which for the good), the DGT has also explored the use of connected coneswhich would be responsible for notifying in real time of road works or dangers. They would be integrated into the DGT 3.0 platformalong with the V16 beacon, although they are still in the testing phase and very far from implementation. The main difference, as you might expect, is that these cones do not move or position themselves. But it’s already a step. What comes next. The natural step of this technology is not the individual cone, but rather several can be coordinated at the same time, something that we have already seen in tests in China, and that the deployment is reminiscent of that of the drone shows in the sky (less glamorous, but just as addictive to watch). The researchers they point in his study of multi-agent swarms, several robots working together in a coordinated manner, such as the evolution of this technology to apply it in infrastructures. Cover image | Posting on X In Xataka | A company has filled a neighborhood with sidewalk outlets to charge electric cars. Their results are contradictory

What is this network traffic analyzer and how to use it to detect Internet problems or security flaws

by

Let’s explain to you what it is and how to take advantage wireshark from the point of view of an ordinary user. I say this because it is a very advanced tool that analyzes all the traffic on your network, and that of all the devices connected to it. When you run this appyou’ll see a series of lines of data that you may not understand. But by knowing a little about what information is going to appear, you can also find ways to diagnose failures in your connection or whether an application or device is spying on you by sending data when you are not using it, or to unknown servers. What is Wireshark Wireshark is a network protocol analyzerwhat in English is called packet sniffer. What it does is capture, isolate and transmit each of the packets that are sent and received through our Internet connection, whether we are connected via WiFi or Ethernet, and it does all this in real time. This is a free and open source programwhich means that any developer can look at how it works inside. This makes it reliable and safe, because if it did things that were not appropriate, users would have already reported it. It has versions for Windows, macOS and Ubuntubeing able to download them at wireshark.org. When it comes to giving you information about the traffic that passes through your network, shows you very important datasuch as the IP and Mac addresses of the person sending or receiving the data, the sending protocol, the content (showing text or images if they are not encrypted), and connection healthwith the exact time it takes to load each piece of information. The operation of this tool is based on three fundamental pillars. First the capture one, because it puts your network card in a mode where it can see all the traffic that reaches it. This includes both information that your operating system displays and information that it does not display. It also has a color code to help you distinguish the packages. As a general rule, green is usually standard TCP traffic, blue is DNS or UDP, and black and red usually indicate problems. That’s why, you can identify that you are having errors or problems quite visually, just by seeing that there are many red or black lines. The app also has a top bar where you can type commands to filter information. This is already quite advanced if you don’t know how networks work, but you can, for example, use “ip.addr == IP Address” changing the address to that of a specific device to see its movements, or type “http” to see only web traffic. In short, it is a fairly complex and advanced tool, so it is not for all users. It is more aimed at system administrators, to detect attacks or bottlenecks. However, If you know where to look you can also take advantage of it as a home user. How you can take advantage of it Although it is an advanced tool, it can be useful for normal users in some contexts as well. We are going to give you some ideas so that you know the type of information you can obtain: If your online games cause problems: A speed test may tell you that your Ping is good, but the experience is different when playing. Therefore, this application can tell you if packets are being lost along the way that are making everything slower. If you are concerned about privacy: You will be able to see what data your devices send to the cloud and the Internet, and if it is not encrypted you will see your content. This can help you be more aware of your privacy, and detect if a device is sending more data than it should. You will also be able to see if a device connects to servers of dubious origin. If you have technical problems: If a website does not load or a printer disappears from the network, this application can show you at what point communication is being cut off. If you want to do lag tests: If in this tool you filter by the appropriate protocol, such as UDP for games, you will be able to find if there are black lines that indicate that the information you send is “out of order” because it never arrived at the destination or did so late. With this you can see that if you have lag it is not a matter of your bandwidth, but perhaps of your network signal or a saturated node of your operator. If you want to know what the devices on your network are doing: As we have more and more connected devices at home, with this you can audit what each one does. You can even isolate the IP of a cell phone or a security camera to know if it is connecting, what data it is sending, or if, for example, it sends data to other servers from time to time. In any case, what you should know is that this tool is going to show you all the traffic that your home network has. It shows all the raw traffic, and doesn’t hide anything, meaning you can have a lot of fun looking at everything that’s happening on your network and learning how to take advantage of it to understand everything. In Xataka Basics | Internet does not work at home: five alternatives to connect without using your router

Taking an important call in a traffic jam is the order of the day. In 1990, a company in Barcelona already offered this service

by

Nowadays, as soon as we have some down time, we turn to our mobile: either to scroll infinitely on Instagram or to catch up on email. Although what defined the basis of today’s smartphones was the first iPhone in 2007, the professional point began before, with the blackberry 5810 and your email in 2002 or we can even go back to Nokia 9000 ’96, which introduced the keyboard and its business approach. The late 90s were the beginning of turning the mobile phone into an everyday object. I’m driving and I need a call now. Of course, back in the 90s, carrying a cell phone in the car and answering a work call was unthinkable. Or not, because someone thought of it an exclusive telephone service for drivers in Barcelona pre-Olympic Games. The target audience was those people who were so busy that they could not afford to be disconnected while traveling through the congested business areas of the city. The operation. As they narrate on the Catalan regional television 3Cat, if in the middle of a traffic jam you were lucky enough to find one of those people in white overalls on a scooter, with a fanny pack and the phone stuffed in a shoulder bag, you could ask them. A uniform as characteristic as the backpacks of today’s delivery drivers, but much less common: at that time there were only five workers moving through the busiest traffic points in Barcelona, ​​although they wanted to increase it to 25. If you are standing, they leave you the headset. And if you move, they lend you the device and follow you until you complete the call. The price of the service was 25 pesetas and the minimum call price is 300 pesetas. Because? To begin with, because in 1990 if you wanted to call on the street what there was were booths and analog technology, in Spain specifically MoviLine: the first mobile operator to deploy the original 1G network, owned by Telefónica. And if we talk about devices, the mythical Motorola MicroTAC It was a status symbol for executives. A symbol measuring 23 centimeters and weighing 350 grams. Yes, there were some mobile phones, but they were heavy, with very long antennas and batteries that barely lasted a couple of hours in conversation. On the other hand, having a phone installed in the car was expensive and niche. But the business was not just the telephone, but mobility and time. As businessman Josep Marí says, his idea was “to create the need to find a mobile phone to be able to call to work, home or wherever.” Ahead of his time. This “Automatic Mobile Telephony” service was ahead of its time in that it had a vision of a future need, but faced a market that was not yet ready. As the 90s progressed, telephone technology became more refined and democratized. 1995 brought GSM to the Spanish state on the one hand and, on the other, the liberalization of the telecommunications market, which inaugurated airtel. The operators began to directly control distribution and technical service with franchises and distributors, leaving little room for local independent companies. Scooters before the scooter craze. And if the service itself is surprising, so is the means of transportation: a scooter with a gasoline engine, more specifically the Sport model. of the Go-Ped brand, but quite similar in design and concept to the electric ones that swarm our streets today. His virtue was exactly the same: moving quickly and agilely through the density of Barcelona’s traffic to be able to get in front of the client. In Xataka | This glorious imaginary version of the Galaxy Fold from the 90s is one of those gems that can only be found on the internet In Xataka | A story of pioneers: they already flirted, argued and liked on the party lines of the 90s Cover | 3Cat via Marc Vidal edited with Gemini

traffic jams, collapsed buses and 400,000 people without a planned alternative

by

Closed with a message at midnight and no backup plan. This is what the 400,000 people who take one of the Rodalies trains in Catalonia every day have found. The railway system has come to a complete halt after the an accident in Gelida (Barcelona) in which a trainee driver died and a second train derailed, this one without consequences, between the stations of Blanes and Maçanet (Girona). What has happened? Last night, Rodalies Catalunya reported that a train on Rodalies line R4 in Barcelona had suffered an accident. In it, everything indicates, a retaining wall fell on the train as it passed. On impact A 28-year-old trainee train driver has died and 37 injuries have been recorded, of which five are in serious condition. Furthermore, between the stations of Blanes and Maçanet (Girona), a few hours earlier another train had derailed. This time as a result of a landslide that left some rocks on the road. In this case there have been no victims on a train in which only 10 people were traveling. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Rodalies closes. A few minutes before midnight, Adif confirmed that all Rodalies lines in Catalonia were suspended until the status of all the lines was checked, but assured that, when it was verified that there were no obstacles on the tracks, the service would be restored. This morning, the trains have not left the depots. Rodalies confirmed that the train service will remain suspended until Adif checks the status of all the tracks. Rodalies points to the damage caused by Storm Harry, which has left heavy rains in Catalonia and has even been warned of flooding. The stoppage also comes after SEMAF (Spanish Union of Railway Machinists) will release a statement announcing that they are going to call a general strike in the sector and that they would stop the service if security was guaranteed throughout the Catalan network. Click on the image to go to the original tweet 400,000 people. Every day, around 400,000 people move around Catalonia using the Rodalies service. Today, Wednesday, January 21, they learned that there are no trains to get to work or drop the children off at school. But, above all, there is no alternative plan to replace the trains, so passengers have to find their own means to get around. Rodalies has 134 stations and its 462.7 kilometers of tracks cover the most extensive Cercanías service in Spain. In total, it is made up of 13 Cercanías lines and 6 regional train lines. The Barcelona Cercanías service, with six lines and two branches (R2 Nord and R2 Sud), is the most extensive. a challenge. The suspension of the service without alternative measures anticipated a chaotic day in Catalonia and, especially, in Barcelona. And the forecasts have been fulfilled. In The Country They note that many passengers were not aware of the measure when they arrived at the stations and that they were not offered any alternative there. In The Vanguard They collect complaints from passengers who are not being told when service can return. Some of them, they point out in the newspaper, have waited for an hour at the stations for trains that have never arrived. It was not until 7:00 when the stations closed definitively. From early in the morning, bus services are saturated in Barcelona. In 20 Minutes They collect the voice of a driver from Barcelona, ​​who assures that “it is chaos. Normally we are always full, but today even more so.” Given the difficulties students face in arriving, the University of Barcelona has canceled all exams. The rest of the universities in Catalonia maintain normal activity although they have asked students who cannot travel to an exam to contact their teacher as soon as possible. For now, the only alternative proposed by the Generalitat It is the recommendation to prioritize teleworking wherever it is allowed or possible. The roads. On the roads, Trànsit has chosen to raise the toll barriers on the C-32 south in both directions of travel. To the suspension of Rodalies we must add the impact on traffic on fifteen roads (ten of them are cut off by floods or landslides) as a result of the storm that is hitting the autonomous community. In The Newspaper They report that all accesses to Barcelona are jammed or have been jammed early in the morning. In addition, various accidents have made traffic even more complicated. Photo | Transit In Xataka | The liberalization of the AVE has not gone down well with Renfe, so now it has a plan: delay the Cercanías movement as much as possible.

wants to connect all traffic as they already do in China

by

The connected V16 beacon becomes mandatory on January 1, but the DGT already suggests that this device would only be the first piece of a much more ambitious project. The director of the organization, Pere Navarro, advanced in an interview in Public Mirror that will soon arrive “the connected cones” and other smart signage elements. And that makes perfect sense, since in the end the objective is nothing more than minimizing the risk of accidents through an interconnected traffic network. Something similar to what is already happening in other countries such as China, Singapore, Japan or South Korea, among others. A fully connected traffic network. If we insist on the example of China, applications like Amap, its equivalent to Google Maps, allow drivers to know how many seconds are left before a traffic light turns green. There they have all their road infrastructure connected. Traffic lights, traffic cameras and the vehicles themselves are part of a digital ecosystem that intends to improve traffic and reduce accidents. Europe, and specifically Spain with the DGT at the helm, seems to look towards this model as a long-term reference. The DGT 3.0 platform as the brain of the system. Behind the connected V16 beacon is DGT 3.0the digital platform that acts as the nerve center of this entire smart network. When a driver activates his beacon after a breakdown or accident, the device sends its position through IoT networks in approximately 100 seconds. This information reaches DGT 3.0 and, from there, is automatically distributed to roadside information panels, navigation applications and other connected vehicles. Pere Navarro insist in that the system does not collect personal data: “When you buy the beacon, you are not asked for any information. We don’t even know the vehicle’s license plate.” “The DGT does not want to know where you are at all times, the beacons have not been created for that,” as stated on Antena 3. Smart cones, next step. Navarro confirmed that connected cones will arrive after V16, designed to inform about workers on the road, sports events, demonstrations or special transportation. These cones will work with the same logic: when activated, they will send their location to DGT 3.0 so that the rest of the drivers receive warnings before reaching the conflict point. The objective is to gain reaction time and avoid risky situations. The idea is that these cones can also help better manage traffic during events that require road closures, allowing vehicles to be diverted along alternative routes more efficiently. The V-27 signal, warning inside the car. Another element that is part of this connected network is the V-27 signala triangle with an exclamation mark and three stripes symbolizing connectivity. This signal appears directly on the instrument panel of compatible vehicles when DGT 3.0 detects a nearby incident, either due to the activation of a V16 beacon or for any other reason that the agency considers dangerous. Of course, it only works on connected cars whose manufacturers or service providers are registered with the National Access Point for Traffic and Mobility Information. On secondary roads, where there are no illuminated panels, this system can make a difference by providing early warning of dangers that would otherwise go unnoticed. Towards the autonomous car. If the DGT knows at all times where the broken down vehicles, construction cones, smart traffic lights and surveillance cameras are, it will be much easier to have an effective accident prevention system. For the DGT, connectivity is a solution to eliminate unnecessary risks, such as get out of the car to signal an emergency. Whether the systems are truly effective remains to be seen. But in addition to that, all this information can lay the foundations for the arrival of the autonomous car. And these cars need precisely that: detailed, real-time information about everything that happens on the road. Flexibility. Pere Navarro made it clear that there will be no massive sanctions campaigns during 2026 with the whole V-16 beacon thing. “The objective is not to fine, the objective is an improvement in road safety,” he stated in the interview. The director of the organization assured that the agents will apply flexible criteria while drivers adapt to the new system, prioritizing information over immediate sanctions. Cover image | DGT In Xataka | Someone has created abstract works of art with one of the most unique forms of engineering: highway “knots”

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.