Environmental problems and global warming are increasingly hitting the headlines nowadays. Our societies all have to face similar problems, which are growing in severity. Decision-makers around the globe are keen to develop strategies to sustain or improve quality of life. Promotion of public transport is a key issue and electrical transport solutions are especially efficient and attractive. Among these options, light rail transit has proven to be a solution for many cities on all continents. LRT is silent, energy efficient, does not produce local emissions and is quite successful at attracting car drivers over to public transport.

For this 9th edition, UITP invites specialists and newcomers, engineers and decision-makers to discuss all aspects of Light Rail Transit in an unrivalled arena of expertise. This conference will offer a comprehensive overview of the latest developments and original experiences and practices aimed at providing environmentally-friendly, quality light rail services at affordable costs.

The choice of Istanbul was not random: the first LRT line was opened in the early 90s, and since then, the city has increasingly found rail to be a solution to the looming traffic gridlock in this megacity of 15 million people. Six lines of metro, LRT and tram carry 720,000 passengers every day over 53 km; the system is running at capacity and the city is not extensively covered, but with the uncompromising efforts and commitment of Istanbul Ulasim, several km of new lines or extensions will further improve the situation.

The conference will feature eight multilingual sessions around the main theme “Keep the world cool with LRT! Global solutions for a changing environment”.