The city of Aachen wants to make traffic at major events more modern, more environmentally friendly and clearer. With the project "Digital mobility management at major events ("DiMoGro")" the administration wants to reduce traffic jams around the Soers sports park, speed up buses and provide visitors with better information in real time.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is funding the project, which costs around 1.585 million euros, with a sum of around 1.27 million euros. DiMoGro will be implemented between January 2026 and the end of June 2027, providing the city of Aachen with an important basis for modern, digital and citizen-oriented mobility management.

Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons was very pleased about the financial blessing from Düsseldorf. He said: "The Soers Sports Park is an attraction far beyond Aachen: soccer matches at the Tivoli, the CHIO international horse show or major concerts bring tens of thousands of people to the north of the city. After major events, this regularly results in crowded streets, long waiting times and high levels of stress for local residents. It is precisely this phenomenon that we want to counteract with intelligent mobility management."

Traffic lights, buses and traffic signs will become more "intelligent"
The core of the project is a modern, digital traffic control system. "The traffic lights in the area around the sports park are being technically upgraded and networked so that they can automatically adapt to the current traffic situation," said digitalization expert Dr Michael Pielen from the Mobility and Transport Department (FB 68). Buses and shuttle services were given priority at junctions and could therefore make faster progress. In addition, digital traffic signs inform drivers in good time about free park & ride spaces, alternative routes and the nearest shuttle buses.

The aim is to make traffic flow more smoothly overall, regardless of whether people are traveling by car, bus, bicycle or on foot.

Less congestion, fewer emissions, more comfort
"The intelligent control system can significantly reduce waiting and travel times. This saves time and stress, lowers exhaust emissions and reduces noise and parking search traffic," said Melanie Meinecke from the traffic engineering team at FB 68. At the same time, public transport becomes more attractive, which should encourage more people to change buses. According to Meinecke, another advantage is that "the city receives a very precise, up-to-date picture of the traffic situation. With the help of modern data analysis, traffic flows can be better understood and flexibly managed, even in unexpected situations such as weather changes or extended matches."

Long-term benefits beyond individual major events
"DiMoGro" is a central component of the politically approved Sportpark Soers master plan and supports the long-term goals of the city of Aachen: climate-friendly mobility, greater road safety and a higher quality of life. The technology used in the project is designed for the long term and is intended not only to support individual major events, but also to contribute to better traffic organization in the area surrounding the sports park in the long term.

Even if major events such as the 2026 World Equestrian Games are important use cases, the project is deliberately designed so that the new systems can be used sustainably and transferred to other areas of the city in the future.

Funding approval from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia - Minister hands over approval notification
The implementation of the project is made possible by funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Transport and Environment Minister Oliver Krischer personally handed over the official approval notice to the city of Aachen in January 2026. The funding is part of a state-wide program to strengthen environmentally friendly and digitally networked mobility.

The city of Aachen had actively and specifically applied for the funding in order to further develop mobility around the Soers sports park in a sustainable way. The project impressed Aachen with its clear focus on climate protection, modern traffic management and tangible benefits for citizens.