Transport Activity-Based Model Program

Advancing the understanding of travel patterns to better inform infrastructure investment, policy reform and planning activities​

Activity-Based Models are a data-driven reusable digital product that enable detailed analysis and testing of the activities and related travel patterns of individuals and households. This provides future travel demand forecasts (spanning 5 to 40 years) within the Greater Sydney Metropolitan area.  The new model will be owned and operated by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and support major government initiatives by providing multi-modal transport forecasts for use in infrastructure assessment, policy development and investment decisions.​

The TfNSW Activity-Based Model Program will be developed and implemented over a 2-year period, leveraging an established proof-of-concept model, developing technical components, networks and data before undertaking model validation to ensure it reasonably reflects travel behaviour in the real world.

Achievements

Starting in April 2025, the 2-year program will develop and validate the new model, enabling a set of use cases to be applied and the full model to be integrated into the transport planning and decision-making frameworks late in 2027.​

Engagement

To ensure the new model delivers the most significant value, it’s crucial to engage a broad range of users and understand their needs and current challenges. This includes wide engagement across TfNSW and partnering agencies that rely on transport modelling. In addition, engagement with external experts from both industry and academia is being undertaken, along with input from other jurisdictions who are undertaking similar development.

Department leading the project

Transport for NSW