First European Mobility Workshop in Lisbon – 2 July - Press release

AMT and IRG-Rail held the First European Mobility Workshop in Lisbon

The First European Mobility Workshop in Lisbon took place in the Thalia Theatre, on 2 July, bringing together several international stakeholders from the Mobility and Transportation sector. The opening ceremony included a welcoming by AMT’s President and IRG-Rails’ Chair, Mr. João Carvalho, and an opening speech by the Portuguese Environment and Energy Transition Minister, Mr. João Matos Fernandes.

The workshop’s primary theme was “Moving towards a sustainable mobility – Building a smart environment and user-friendly integrated mobility system” that spawned into sessions for “Digitalization driving customer benefits as the heart of intermodality and the challenges of innovation” and “Achieving social and environmental cohesion and sustainability through the protection of passengers’ rights as an active agent of the promotion of decarbonisation”.

This AMT / IRG-Rail endeavour was successful and feedback was remarkable, in raising awareness and giving the sector the opportunity to openly discuss trends, opportunities, best practices and to foster partnerships that will help shape the future of Mobility and Transportation for generations to come.

The first session began with a keynote speech by ex-TEN-T Senior Advisor from DG Move, Mr. José Laranjeira Anselmo, followed by presentations by Miguel Rodrigues from Siemens Mobility, Ralf-Charley Schultze from UIRR - International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport, Marc Guigon from UIC - International Union of Railways, Francisco Cardoso dos Reis from IP - Infraestruturas de Portugal, S.A. (the Portuguese Infrastructure Manager) and Tommaso Spanevelo from UNIFE – The European Rail Industry. The former IRG-Rail Chair and Vice-President of the French Regulatory Body, Ms. Anne Yvrande-Billon, moderated the ensuing debate, which was sober and objectively focused on the opportunities and threats of digitalisation and data, as assets for the Mobility sector.

The second session started with a discourse by Lisbon’s Deputy Mayor for Mobility and Safety, Mr. Miguel Gaspar, proceeded by presentations from Josef Schneider from EPF – European Passenger’s Federation, Tiago Lopes Farias, President of Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa, representing UITP – Union Internationale des Transports Publics, Luís Cabaço Martins, Board Member of Barraqueiro, representing EPTO – European Passenger Transport Operators, and Carlos Nogueira, President of CP - Comboios de Portugal. (the Portuguese railway incumbent operator). The former IRG-Rail Chair and President of the Italian Regulatory Body, Mr. Andrea Camanzi, directed the following discussion with a clear focus on the fundamental need to shift passengers from the private to the public and sharing transportation modes, as a means to achieve Europe’s ambitious goal of decarbonising Transportation.

The Portuguese Secretary of State for Mobility, Professor José Mendes, closed the Workshop by stressing that the Mobility Sector is permanently evolving and that transportation demand is expected to double by 2050, along with an increasing complexity for the services demanded. Professor José Mendes emphasised that more and better Mobility is fundamental to cohesion, economy, but especially for creating opportunities for people which may create more impacts, that need be mitigated by regulation and technology.

See the video here!

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