The 2026 International Transport Forum Summit provided UIC with a golden opportunity to engage with policymakers, financial institutions, and international partners on the future of sustainable and resilient transport. The theme for the ITF 2026 Summit was “Funding Resilient Transport”, which is part of the 2025-2027 ITF Summit trilogy on transport resilience, focusing on mobilising investment and financing strategies to strengthen the resilience of transport systems. The summit explored ways to enhance long-term connectivity, efficiency, and reliability in transport infrastructure and operations.
This year, UIC took part in the summit to reinforce a clear message: rail must not only be recognised as a sustainable mode of transport, but as a strategic solution for a resilient transport system as a whole. This message was reflected in the various meetings between UIC and its trusted partners, including fellow transport associations, international organisations, multilateral development banks, and financial institutions such as Europe’s Rail, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), Alstom, and FS Italiane. Representing rail, their presence reinforced the importance of collective action to expand innovation, investment, and resilient transport solutions. The discussions also showed that there was fertile ground for cooperation on certain intersections between rail and urban planning, regional development, and intermodality, among others.
UIC was represented by Director General François Davenne, alongside Lucie Anderton (Director of Sustainability), Joo Hyun Ha (Head of Advocacy), Michele Gesualdi (Senior Advisor for High-Speed Rail), and Anton Beck (Advisor for Partnerships), who contributed to discussions on climate finance, infrastructure resilience, high-speed rail development, and strategic partnerships.
Advancing climate finance for rail
A key focus of UIC’s engagement was expanding discussions on climate finance and carbon markets.
Transport decarbonisation discussions often remain heavily focused on vehicle technology and electrification. UIC highlighted the need for greater attention to “avoid and shift” measures, particularly in terms of a modal shift to rail, both for passengers and freight. This is especially vital as while rail delivers substantial emissions reductions while generating broader benefits such as reduced congestion, improved air quality, and more efficient land use, these benefits are often overlooked in existing financing models and return on investment assessments.
At the summit, UIC also entered into discussions with development finance institutions and partners to explore how carbon markets and innovative financing mechanisms can better recognise avoided emissions and help secure greater investment in rail and public transport infrastructure. Furthermore, to help move from concept to implementation, UIC is also developing the Coalition for Rail in Carbon Markets. This is a multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together transport operators, financial institutions, development banks, and technical experts to develop and advocate for realistic carbon credit methodologies for rail and public transport projects. The coalition will initially focus on urban mass transit, high-speed rail, and the road-to-rail freight modal shift, while supporting pilot projects and advocacy efforts to ensure that these sectors can better access international carbon markets under evolving frameworks such as Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement.
During the “Spotlight on Research” session, a UIC High-Speed project presented an overview of financing models and instruments for HSR infrastructure. Alongside outlining the characteristics and use-case for Public Delivery and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models, the applicability of Regulated Asset Base (RAB) models in the context of HSR infrastructure funding were introduced, and the importance of expanding opportunities and methodologies for carbon credit revenues to rail was emphasised.
Connecting transport with urban development
UIC also used the opportunity to strengthen dialogue between the railway sector and the urban development community.
As cities continue to grow, transport infrastructure must be better integrated with land-use planning and urban development strategies. Discussions focused on how stronger cooperation can support more efficient urban growth, transit-oriented development, and new financing opportunities linked to accessibility and land-value creation. This discussion also builds on UIC’s partnership with UN-Habitat through an existing Memorandum of Understanding. A meeting between Davenne and Anacláudia Rossbach at the summit further reaffirmed both organisations’ shared commitment to strengthening the links between rail, urban development, and sustainable land-use planning.
Building resilience through long-term planning
In the context of growing climate, economic, and geopolitical uncertainty, UIC also highlighted rail’s long-term advantages through energy efficiency, lower exposure to fossil fuel volatility, resilient infrastructure, and strong performance during disruptions.
At the ITF Summit Ministerial Roundtable on vision-led transport planning, Davenne highlighted the need to align long-term transport planning with financing models that support resilient, low-carbon infrastructure. He emphasised rail’s role in strengthening connectivity, resilience, and decarbonisation, while calling for innovative financing approaches to better capture rail’s long-term climate benefits.
Looking ahead: advancing rail’s role in future transport systems
Throughout the summit, UIC also reinforced its role as both a technical expert and rail’s advocate – helping shape innovative financing solutions while ensuring rail remains central to international discussions on sustainable, resilient transport systems.
Discussions at this year’s ITF Summit highlighted growing momentum to better align transport, climate and finance agendas – reaffirming rail’s essential role in building the transport systems of the future.
