On 21 May 2025, the Research and Innovation Coordination Group (RICG) plenary meeting was held at the UIC headquarters in Paris. A key outcome of the session was the strong emphasis on showcasing groundbreaking research and innovation at the upcoming Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2026, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 18 to 21 May 2026.
The TRA is Europe’s largest conference on transport research and innovation, initiated by the European Commission and several stakeholders, including UIC. The main theme of the event will be “Regeneration in Transport”, and it will bring together top experts and thought leaders in transport research and innovation.
The call for abstracts is now open, and the RICG encourages all UIC members and the wider Railway Operating Community (ROC) to actively contribute. This is a unique opportunity to highlight ongoing research, and share implemented innovations.
Artur Fojud, Head of Research and Innovation at UIC and member of the European Railway Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) Steering Committee and its Secretary, is a member of the Programme Committee of the Transport Research Arena 2026.
The conference will cover relevant areas of transport research with a specific focus on:
- User centred mobility
- Green mobility and decarbonisation
- Planning and operation
- Transport digitalisation
The aim of the conference is to connect academics with practitioners, bring together leading experts, and provide opportunities to promising young researchers. The conference will be accompanied by a range of demonstrations, innovative exhibitions, technical tours, and social events.
As part of the conference, we invite researchers to submit research papers aligned with the conference themes. The top submissions will be presented at the conference during technical sessions or as posters. They will also be published in the conference proceedings and the most outstanding ones will be published in prestigious journals.
Awards
TRA goes beyond knowledge-sharing by celebrating excellence through the TRA Visions Awards. Researchers and innovators in Road, Rail, Air, Waterborne and Cross-modal (Logistics & Passenger transport) are encouraged to participate in the following categories:
- Young researcher competition: Integrated into the general submission process, young researchers are invited to submit their papers along with supplementary materials such as research summaries, presentations, and recommendation letters.
- Senior researcher competition: Recognising outstanding contributions in European research projects.
- Special honorary award: Honouring an influential figure in the transport sector for their impact on research and innovation.
- Host award: Presented to the best paper aligned with TRA 2026’s main theme, “Regeneration in Transport”.
Submission guidelines
In the first round, abstracts of maximum 200 words are invited to be submitted by 15 June 2025 through the online submission system accessible via the conference website. The submissions will be reviewed by members of the local programme committee.
In the second round, conference papers of maximum 4,000 words are invited to be submitted by 15 September 2025 through the same system. The papers will be reviewed by independent experts and by members of the local programme committee.
Presentation
Accepted papers will be presented either in a technical (oral) session or as a poster with a brief oral presentation. A maximum of one presentation is allowed per person attending the conference. This means an author may be a co-author on multiple different papers but may present only a single one.
Proceedings and special issues
The accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings. Selected high-quality papers will be put forward by guest editors for inclusion in special issues of prestigious journals.
TRA 2026 presents a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge transport research, network with experts, and explore innovative mobility solutions. Be part of shaping the future of sustainable, efficient, and digital transport systems.
We invite all rail experts to submit an abstract and take part in TRA2026 in Budapest, highlighting rail as the backbone of sustainable mobility.
Please note the following dates:
- Abstract submission deadline: 15 June 2025
- Conference paper submission deadline: 15 September 2025
- Conference paper notification of acceptance: 31 January 2026
- Final conference paper submission deadline: 31 March 2026
For more information and submissions, visit the official TRA 2026 website: Call for papers – TRA2026 – ReGeneration in transport
