Barcelona begins its journey as the world capital of public transport

Barcelona can now kick off the organization of the Global Public Transport Summit of 2023, after the president of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), Marta Subirà, received the flag of the International Association of Public Transport, promoter of the congress, from its president, Khalid Alhogail.

The handover took place during the closing ceremony of the MENA Transport Congress & Exhibition, the UITP's regional benchmark congress in the Middle East and North Africa region, held from February 6 to 8 in Dubai. A protocolary and symbolic act that revalidates that Barcelona will be the world capital of public transport next year.

The choice of Barcelona's bid, against cities like Brussels and Dubai, was confirmed in October 2020, and its competitiveness, its extensive experience in organizing large events, and especially the fact of having a public transport system and urban development policies that are world references, were taken into account.

At the meeting in Dubai, Subirà stressed that "public transport is called to play a fundamental role in the mobility of the future and the transformation of society at a crucial moment of changes; a transformation that must come from the field of mobility but also from technological innovation, equal opportunities and territorial development."

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), as the driving force behind the celebration of the congress in the Catalan capital, from June 4 to 7, 2023, will have the collaboration of other operators such as Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) and Renfe, as well as other entities. The public operator has already defined the motto of the international meeting: Bright Light of the City. The event will include a trade fair-exhibition with the participation of industries in the sector and complementary activities, in which a wide participation of Catalan firms is expected.

The last Global Public Transport Summit was held in June 2019 in Stockholm, with a balance of 2,718 participants from 81 countries in the congress, with 474 exhibitors from 46 countries, and more than 15,000 visitors to the exhibition. The 2021 congress, scheduled for December 2021 in Melbourne, could not be held due to the pandemic.