In 2040, people and goods will reach their destinations smoothly, safely and efficiently. New traffic solutions will change the way we travel and transport goods. Robots and drones will operate on land, at sea and in the air, vehicles will be increasingly autonomous, and new services will help combine different modes of transport into seamless chains.
Robots and drones will be a routine part of traffic – autonomy will change the role of humans
Increasing numbers of robots and drones will be on the move on land, at sea and in the air. They will deliver small parcels and carry out inspection tasks directly at sites as well as monitor routes, structures, devices and similar. Commercial drone traffic will be part of the everyday transport and logistics system, and new solutions will also bring better services to remote areas.
Humans will increasingly be service users and supervisors rather than transport operators. The systems will manage mobility and transport autonomously, while humans monitor the system and intervene in situations that automation cannot handle.
The transport system will optimise traffic flows – new services will make everyday life easier
Routes, deliveries, speeds and capacity will be optimised at the same time from the perspective of smoothness, cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts. Traffic flows and capacity will be coordinated, ensuring that the network also operates effectively at busy times. Disruptions will be quickly dealt with by using alternative connections and routes, and safety will be based on anticipating risks.
Mobility will be about travelling as required by the situation, rather than choosing a single mode of transport. Public transport, shared and private vehicles, and walking and cycling will combine into seamless travel chains. People will be able to switch from one mode of transport to another as needed, and the same idea will be extended to goods transport: waiting times between modes of transport will be minimised and the entire chain will operate efficiently.
An intelligent transport system enabled by shared data will bolster Finland’s competitiveness
The change will be enabled by close cooperation in the sector, jointly agreed operating models and a shared situational picture. The digital twin of the transport system will amalgamate the situational pictures of different modes of transport, while data and AI will make it possible to anticipate, analyse and simulate situations. Data will flow seamlessly between transport routes, vehicles, service providers and transport service users.
An intelligent transport system will bolster Finland’s competitiveness and attractiveness while improving the cost-effectiveness of logistics and security of supply. It will streamline mobility, save time and improve regional accessibility, while the shared situational picture and good preparedness strengthen the reliability of society.
New transport solutions and services will also create new business and export opportunities for Finland. Overall optimisation of traffic will reduce environmental impacts, and the transport system can be developed more effectively relying on factual information.
Examples of how the system will have changed by 2040 compared to today:
- Travel times will be reduced by 15%.
- Seamless travel chains will account for more journeys: more than 20% of travel chains will be optimised from door to door, while the current figure is less than 5%.
- More journeys will be made on public transport: 30% of journeys will be completed by public transport, compared to the current figure of less than one out of five.
- Efficiency of logistics will improve: an improvement of 5% to 10% will be achieved in the unit costs of transport.
- Autonomous traffic will become more common: around 10% of cars will be autonomous (L3+), while the current share is 0%.
- Transport emissions will be reduced significantly: CO₂ emissions will decrease from approx. 9.8 million to 2 million tonnes per year.
- Mobility will take up a smaller share of household incomes: less than 10% of incomes will be spent on travel, compared to 11% today.
- Traffic safety will improve: annual costs of traffic accidents to society will be reduced by EUR 200 million.
In 2040, the transport system will work for people, companies and entire society – proactively, seamlessly and smartly.