UITP at TRA 2026: What's On, and Where
With Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2026 just around the corner, UITP and its partner projects have put together a packed schedule of sessions, workshops and live demonstrations at this edition, in Budapest from 18 to 21 May. Many UITP colleagues will be in attendance, with some moderating sessions, some at the UITP stand, and others working on project events outside of the UITP stand.
The TRA programme covers a litany of salient topics, from equitable access to public transport to AI-powered metro systems and everything in between! Below, please find a breakdown of the UITP projects featured during the TRA! Come visit us at the UITP stand, see what projects we’re engaged in, meet UITP colleagues, and find out more about the UITP Summit in Hamburg, in 2027.
The UITP stand is located at C/11 in Hall G, next to the European Commission; you can view the full floor plan here.
Sessions at the UITP Stand
18 May | PIONEERS | 15:00 to 16:00
UITP will kick things off on the first day with a PIONEERS session in the afternoon: “Sustainable mobility innovations from Antwerp and Barcelona’s ports”. Ports don’t always get much attention in urban mobility conversations, but they’re significant nodes in city transport networks, and this session will make that case thoroughly. The discussion will look at how Mobility as a Service can improve how people get to and from port areas, and what it takes to shift port employees toward greener commuting habits. Real examples from Antwerp and Barcelona will anchor the conversation.
19 May | eBRT2030, GOLIA and UPPER | 10:00 to 11:00
eBRT2030, GOLIA and UPPER projects will come together for “Measuring & Evaluating Mobility as a Right”, a session that asks a pretty fundamental question: how do you actually measure whether a transport system is fair? The session will focus on how the rights of people are central to mobility planning, and how tools for measuring the social impacts of mobility can serve to validate innovative solutions that support behavioural change.
UPPER, a UITP-coordinated project, has a full agenda in this edition of the TRA, including the session “User-Centred Mobility Systems” at the European Commission stand, featuring also GEMINI and SPINE projects. Each project will present their objectives and some of the measures being implemented in respective cities and regions. UPPER is also represented at the EC’s stand throughout the whole duration of the Conference. Come meet us to discover urban mobility solutions in Europe! Discover the full programme of UPPER here.
19 May | GOLIA, PIONEERS, ULTIMO and NEXT-RIDE| 12:00 to 13:00
The session “Identifying specific user needs” will bring together GOLIA, PIONEERS, ULTIMO and Interreg’s NEXT-RIDE project, addressing the gap between designer assumptions and what users need, and how different projects have tried to address it. User centered design is easy to claim, but this session will get into the methodology behind it.
20 May | NEXUS | 11:00 to 12:00
NEXUS will present a project overview and run a live demonstration where you will have the chance to see demand management and simulation tools in action, and to gain insights on NEXUS new vehicle concept. Later at 16:00, the project will join a session on “Social diversity and accessibility in mobility”, looking at how metro systems can better serve diverse ridership. Additional poster material on simulation modelling for urban metro systems will also be on display from 13:00. You can find out even more about NEXUS by registering for the “External Advisory Board workshop” on the 21st. This will take place outside of the TRA itself, and participation is free, although registration is mandatory, which can be done at the link here.
20 May |eBRT2030, TRANS-SAFE, UPPER, ULTIMO and COOL4| 12:00 to 13:00
eBRT2030, TRANS-SAFE, UPPER, ULTIMO and COOL4 will share the session “Innovations beyond Europe”, exploring what happens when EU-funded mobility solutions get applied outside the EU. Local policy environments, funding structures, and planning cultures can all create friction and complicate implementation. This session will address that directly, drawing on the experiences of projects that have been through the process.
Project Events outside the UITP Stand
The following projects will also be showcased at additional events held outside the UITP stand. For a brief overview, see the list below; for full details, please consult the general TRA programme and the individual project pages, UPPER, NEXUS, eBRT2030 and ULTIMO
UPPER will explore transport poverty on the Strategic Session 1.1 “Tackling transport poverty through seamless and sustainable mobility” on 18 May. Panelists will discuss the needs of vulnerable groups and the role of transport as a social equaliser and lifeline for remote and outermost regions.
NEXUS will have a strong presence across the technical programme on 19 and, contributing to sessions on predictive modelling for traffic control systems, strategic frameworks for connected transport systems, and automation impacts. As mentioned previously, don’t miss the 3rd External Advisory Board Workshop on 21 May, a working session open to all experts and stakeholders to explore the project’s progress. Find the registration link here. For full details, consult the NEXUS article detailing its presence at TRA.
eBRT2030 will take part in Special Session 26 on 19 May afternoon, joining a broader conversation on international cooperation in transport research under the theme “One system, many actors”.
ULTIMO will be featured in two sessions in the Congress Programme on 20 and 21 May, the first covering the journey from research prototype to real-world service, and the second taking a broader look at where transport is heading and what combination of technology, policy and user behaviour will shape it.
Other UITP highlights taking place throughout TRA
From the afternoon of 18 May through to 21 May, in addition to its presence at the UITP stand and other activities, ULTIMO will operate live demonstrations of the EVO3 automated shuttle from Navya Mobility, serving four pick-up and drop-off points across the site. A technical booth will also be available at C24, with live tech demos.
The R2DATO project will also be represented at the UITP stand through a video presentation highlighting its work on digital and automated train control systems. The project will also promote its final event, extending engagement beyond TRA.
UITP’s presence at TRA 2026 will extend well beyond the project sessions. On Monday 18 May from 15:30-17:00, UITP will moderate the strategic session “From research to the deployment of safety measures in road transport systems, contributing to one of the conference’s core policy tracks.”
On Tuesday 19 May from 10:30 to 12:00, UITP will coordinate the strategic session “Zero emission mobility in urban areas: pathways to sustainable urban mobility, bringing together perspectives on how cities can accelerate the transition to cleaner transport.” Both of these moderated sessions will take place in Congress rooms. Kindly consult the TRA programme if you’d like to attend.
UITP is also proud to be sponsoring the first prize of the Young Researchers Awards (TRA VISION) in the category of cross-modal passengers, recognising the next generation of talent shaping the future of mobility. The award will be presented during the opening ceremony.
Discover our full programme at TRA
The UITP programme at TRA will cover a lot of ground, from the very applied, such as live shuttle demos, real data tools to the genuinely strategic, including on how European research travels, what Mobility as a Right (MaaR) means in practice, and so much more. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the project events and at the UITP stand!
Be sure to also pencil-in the UITP summit in Hamburg in 2027, taking place from June 24 to 27, where you will discover the great achievements these projects will make in the coming year, and so much more. Find out more here.
