UITP celebrates 125 years!


ON 19 September, 350 participants, including UITP members and special guests, gathered in Brussels, Belgium, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of UITP in the presence of HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium.

Car-free Sunday and European Mobility Week provided an ideal backdrop for the event, which included a parade of some 25 vintage trams in the heart of the city. Guests enjoyed a scenic tram journey, which was followed by an academic session featuring high-level speakers. Thanks to the invaluable support of STIB/ MIVB, the event was a resounding success and provided a unique occasion to celebrate the history of UITP and put public transport firmly in the spotlight.

The day began at the Tram Museum in Woluwe, where HRH Prince Laurent was greeted by UITP President Alain Flausch, Secretary General Hans Rat, Willem Draps, the Mayor of Woluwe Saint Pierre, and other VIPs including Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Transport, Brigitte Grouwels, Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region responsible for Public Works and Transport, and H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman RTA, Dubai. His Royal Highness Prince Laurent was also able to visit an exhibition charting UITP’s history and featuring historical photos of some UITP member networks.

Guests were then treated to a scenic trip to nearby Tervuren aboard the vintage trams, some dating from the end of the 19th century. Many of the vehicles came from Brussels, but several UITP members kindly sent vehicles to take part in the parade. Our special thanks go to Amsterdam, The Hague, Liège, Milan, Munich, Nantes, Paris, Rotterdam and Vienna for sending their vehicles and adding an international flavour to the tram parade! In the afternoon, the trams were made available to the general public, who also enjoyed the opportunity to experience a nostalgic trip on the vintage vehicles.

The Academic Session featured several high-level speakers and provided a valuable platform to engage directly with our stakeholders on the major issues that are currently facing the public transport sector. The main themes dealt with were financing, traffic congestion and urban mobility culture.

See also our press release ‘Public transport needs stable long-term financing’   

Worldwide Flash Mob on public transport!

On Sunday 19 September, on the 125th anniversary of UITP and during European Mobility Week, the first ever worldwide Flash Mob on public transport took place in 10 cities. Flash Mobs gathered in Brussels, Bogota, Dusseldorf, Guadalajara, Helsinki, Lima, Melbourne, Monterrey, New Delhi and Sao Paulo, organised by their respective youth through Youth For Public Transport (Y4PT).

The idea was to change attitudes towards public transport and demonstrate that public transport could be comfortable and attractive, just like at home, so the Flash MobBERS gathered in their pyjamas at strategic points in the 10 cities. Thousands of spectators joined the groups and big crowds formed in many of the cities. Get connected on YouTube, Facebook and the website www.youthforpt.org to watch the videos and photos.

CONTACT: Alessandra Gorini, alessandra.gorini@uitp.org