European Transport Conference 2018-2019

Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland

The 46th ETC was held for the first year, in Dublin, in October 2018, and the 47th event in October 2019. Thanks to the host sponsor DTTaS (Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport), we could use three buildings in the historical site of Dublin Castle.

600 Participants

With more than 600 participants the conference reached an all-time high. In terms of attendance there was an increase in delegate days of 35% compared to 2017, from 921 to 1.252, largely attributed to the uptake of discounted delegate places offered to Local Authorities and organisations linked to the host sponsor.

The conference was opened by the Irish Minister of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD and was followed by a keynote by Professor Peter Balázs, coordinator of the North Sea-Mediterranean EU Corridor.

The ETC: a discussion platform for mobility professionals

At the conference we provide the opportunity to present new and challenging developments coming from the day-to-day experiences of all kind of European mobility professionals. The format consists of a minimum of 9 parallel sessions each day and a plenary session on the Wednesday.

The conference succeeded with the choice of topics of great relevance and in line with the European mobility packages designed to ensure a smooth transition towards a mobility system which is safe, clean and connected & automated.

In fact, the conference program included over 280 articles and research studies presented, contributed to enriching the debate on mobility and transport and covering supranational crosscutting issues dealing with Innovation, Digitisation and Decarbonisation of Transport in Europe. Most of them are now under review for being published in a special issue of Transportation Research Procedia journal.

Technical visits and social interaction

Several technical visits were offered to all ETC participants, and two bicycle tours and a running tour throughout Dublin city centre were organised.

On Tuesday evening, the Icebreaker Drinks Reception took place at Wood Quay at the Civic Offices of Dublin City Council. This offered delegates the opportunity to socialise and relax before the official start of the conference.

On Wednesday evening delegates were invited to attend the Civic Reception hosted by Dublin City Council. This took place at the impressive Dublin City Hall. Dating back to 1769 it took a decade to build and is a popular tourist destination.

Finally, the Conference Dinner, was held on Thursday evening at the historic Trinity College Dining Hall. The venue is situated on the main campus of Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest University.