Transport Research Arena 2024

After two years, on Monday, April 15, the doors of the prestigious international conference called Transport Research Arena (TRA) under the auspices of the Irish Government and the European Commission (DG Education and Culture and DG MOVE) reopened, and we were there to convey our information and overall impressions to you.

Transport Research Arena 2024

This marks the tenth anniversary of the event, which began in Gothenburg, Sweden. The second to last event was held in Portugal, and the next one will be held in Budapest in two years.

Several notable personalities spoke at the opening ceremony. The host, Mr. Jonathan Healy, successively introduced the Mayor of Dublin, Mr. Daithí de Róiste; the Director General of the DG for Mobility and Transport, Ms. Magda Kopczyńska; the Minister of Transport of Ireland, Mr. Eamon Ryan, who advocates for green forms of transport in Ireland; and the representative of the EU National Disability Authority, Mr. Jack Kavanagh. In a very emotional speech, Mr. Kavanagh reminded us of our role and responsibility to ensure mobility is accessible to all EU citizens without categorizing or separating people into groups.

Additionally, the opening ceremony featured a cultural program that highlighted Irish traditions, including dance and music, and presented awards to students and young scientists in several categories. The conference attracted significant interest, with over 4,000 participants registered—a record number, including almost 1,200 scientific contribution. The event was engaging, with a variety of panel discussions, technical group meetings, industry tours, and lectures from the scientific and professional community spanning the entire four days.

The conference aims to unite scientific and industrial experts to achieve positive outcomes in various aspects of transport and mobility. It addressed all modes of transport—road, airborne, rail, waterborne (maritime) transport, and also intermodal transport. Each section covered topics related to health and the environment, technical innovations, safety, inclusivity in mobility, innovation, automation, sustainability, as well as behavior and socio-economic issues. Development of cities and regions, cross-border cooperation, sharing, and data policy were also significant topics.

On Tuesday, in the Zero Emissions Transport section, Ján Horváth presented our contribution titled 'Sustainable transport roadmap to support sustainable economy in the Slovak Republic.' This presentation, in the form of a poster, is available for viewing on our website.