The Transport Research Arena (TRA), organised every two years by the European Commission and other key stakeholders, brings together academia, industry, policymakers, and civil society to shape the future of transport research in Europe. The 2026 edition was held in Budapest, Hungary from 18 to 21 May and focused on the theme, “Re-Generation in Transport”. EPF colleagues Delphine and Katie were present for a few days of inspiring discussions, demonstrations, and presentations around transport research and innovation.

Delphine speaking in the multimodal mobility services session Source: TRA

On 20 May, Delphine took part in the session “Multimodal mobility services for passengers and goods in suburban and rural areas”, which explored how multimodal mobility services could better connect suburban and rural areas to city centres and urban multimodal hubs. In the session, Delphine highlighted the passengers’ perspective, including passengers’ needs, how to make multimodal mobility work for people, and factors that contribute to transport poverty. Her presentation is available here. Other session participants included:

  • Isabelle Vandoorne (DG MOVE , moderator)
  • Judit Sándor (Europe’s Rail)
  • Andrea Lorenzini (MemEx)
  • Manolis Koutoulakis (Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy)
  • Juan Blasco (Nommon).

EPF also submitted three research papers that were part of the conference poster showcase. The papers will be published as part of the conference proceedings later this year:

  1. “Understanding Mobility Around Stadiums: Insights from Fan’s Mobility Surveys in Munich and Porto” – Based on research within the GEMINI project, EPF’s Katie Bulanowski and Wandi Chivaura contributed to this paper together with colleagues from Inlecom, Volkswagen, and Porto Digital.
  2. “Enabling Shared Mobility through Policy Innovation: A Scalable Approach for European Cities” – Also based on research within the GEMINI project, EPF’s Katie Bulanowski contributed to this paper together with colleagues from CENEX and Transport & Mobility Leuven.
  3. “Towards a Common Understanding in Transport using a Living Glossary: A Multiperspective Approach to Multimodal Terminology” – Based on research within the SIGN-AIR project, EPF’s Delphine Grandsart contributed to this paper along with colleagues from the Smart Ticketing Alliance, University of Belgrade, and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Lastly, EPF projects InclusiveSpaces, GEMINI, and UPPER had stands at the conference’s large-scale exhibition area.

Katie with the GEMINI poster about mobility around stadiums

Delphine with the SIGN-AIR colleagues and their poster