From July 6 to 10, over 1,500 global experts—including scientists, policy-makers, academics, and industry leaders—gathered at Toulouse Capitole University and the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) for the 17th World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR).
This milestone edition was particularly special as the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) celebrated its 50th anniversary! Hosted in Toulouse, the European capital of aeronautics and mobility, the conference served as a powerful platform for international collaboration and exchange on pressing global transport challenges.
Key Highlights of WCTR 2026:
• International Session on Global Trends: Led by WCTRS President Prof. Tae Hoon Oum, sessions tackled “Transport and Supply Chain Policy Responses to the Deglobalising and Fragmenting World,” focusing on resilient supply chains, deglobalization, and the future of aviation.
• Inspiring Plenaries: Features included insights from Nobel Laureate Jean Tirole on industrial policy in transport, and MIT Professor Moshe Ben-Akiva on personalized transportation demand models.
• Industrial Insights Roundtables: Top industry leaders (including Air France-KLM, Transdev, VINCI, and EIT Urban Mobility) discussed city decarbonization, urban space rebalancing, dynamic charging, and global air transport sustainability.
• Celebrating 50 Years & The Next Generation: A dedicated 50th Anniversary Session reflected on five decades of transport research and honored the winners of the “Manifesto for the Future of Transport Research” competition, highlighting the vision of young researchers for the next 50 years!
A big thank you to WCTRS, UT Capitole, TSE, and all the organizers, speakers, and sponsors for shaping an unforgettable week and setting the roadmap for sustainable, resilient mobility!