TRA 2024

For the first time, EU-Rail shared a stand with Clean Hydrogen JU, Clean Aviation JU, and SESAR JU, highlighting the importance of developing and deepening synergies for Research and Innovation in the field of transportation.

Event highlights

15 April

• EU-Rail is proud to support the TRA Visions Young Scientists Competition, aimed at young researchers from Universities and Research Institutes pursuing degrees in all scientific domains involving transport, sustainability, mobility, energy, engineering and related areas, providing an opportunity to showcase their work. During the award ceremony, our Acting Executive Director, Mr Giorgio Travaini, awarded the Young Scientists winner at the TRA 2024 opening ceremony.

16 April

• Our Programme Manager, Ms Codruta Bastucescu, organised a special session titled ‘Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy: What Role for Rail Traffic Management?’. The objective of this session will be to take stock of evolution of developments for a common European rail Traffic Management system.

• Our Senior Programme Manager, Mr Sebastien Denis, organised a special session titled ‘Prescriptive and Predictive Maintenance in the Transport Landscape’.  This session explored the critical role of efficient maintenance in ensuring safety, reliability, and overall sustainability in the evolving transportation landscape, as well as the transformative nature of maintenance strategies, emphasising the focus on prescriptive and predictive methodologies.
• Our Acting Executive Director, Mr Giorgio Travaini, also moderated a ministerial roundtable on ‘Investment and Delivery for Global Competitiveness’. The panel discussed the changing landscape of traditional project investment and delivery methods and the current and future challenges in delivering complex projects successfully.  

18 April

• Our Acting Executive Director, Mr Giorgio Travaini took part in a special session titled Hydrogen for Heavy Duty Transportation: Working in Synergy with the Partnerships. The session, organised by Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, looked into strengthening synergies within Horizon Europe initiatives, partnerships and other JUs, that focus on delivering the ambitious 2030 targets set up by the European Commission and contribute to EU priorities and policies. 
• Our Senior Programme Manager, Ms Judit Sandor, organised a session titled ‘Disruptive Sustainable and Smart Guided Transport Solutions part of Europe’s Future Mobility?’, addressing disruptive guided transport solutions covered in the Multi-Annual Work Programme of the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking.
• Our Acting Executive Director, Mr Giorgio Travaini participated in a strategic session titled ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility: What next for New Mobility Services’ focused on Connected Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) developments since the 2018 communication, addressing transport megatrends and the strategy for future mobility.

Europe’s Rail Founding Members ADIF, Strukton, Siemens, and SNCF represented the rail sector in key plenary sessions throughout the conference. Many Europe’s Rail project representatives, as well as representatives from bodies such as the States Representative Group also took part in different sessions including a session on Integrated Air and Rail Network, Electrification of Land Transport, and more.

The four-day event provided a great opportunity to hear about mobility trends in different parts of Europe, to learn from achievements in the industry, as well as share best practices of policies and deployments. The Conference also offered a great venue for researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives to get together and contribute to the discussion on how research and innovation can reshape the transport and mobility system.