“It’s very logical to unite two momentous events of the transport industry. To solve the problems the industry face successfully, a comprehensive approach is required: we need intellectual systems for traffic flow management, new roads, new environmentally friendly transport. All these problems are discussed at this forum,” CEO of the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre Sergey Voronkov says.

The motto of the united forum is a succinct phrase: “SmartTRANSPORT for a smart city”. By the way, ‘smart’ is not some abstract modern concept, but quite a specific feature, since intellectual modernization of the transport infrastructure against the rapid growth of the city’s territory and population will be the focus of discussion. It’s impossible to choose simple ways under these circumstances, since modern high-tech solutions are required.

A list of speakers that will take part in the events includes Vice Governor of St. Petersburg Maxim Sokolov, Chairman of the Committee on Development of Transport Infrastructure of Saint Petersburg Andrey Levakin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Transport Valentin Enokayev, Managing Director for Intelligent Control Systems Development at Transmashholding JSC Andrey Romanchikov and many other representatives of governmental authorities, transport, and other companies.

Participants of the forum will discuss renovation of already existing means of transport and emergence of alternative ones; development of notification services for passengers, improvement of the fare system and the update of the passenger fleet. In particular, the issue of large-scale implementation of buses with engines driven by environmentally sound gas as a fuel will be raised. The problems of aviation, railway, water and electric transport, as well as the usage conditions of unmanned aerial vehicles and the issues related to ecology and application of alternative energy sources that have been so urgent in recent years won’t be left without attention.

The main focus of business agenda (the business program includes more than 20 events) is on the support of a constructive dialogue between the authorities and the experts involved in the transport sector and the entire industry specific infrastructure. It’s impossible to create a comfortable urban environment – convenient, modern and safe for residents – without coordinated decisions. Nowadays, a new paradigm should be established for a metropolitan city to function, the one where transport caters for people efficiently.

Speakers of the forum will also discuss a relevant topic of how to increase the investment attractiveness of St. Petersburg in this area. By 2025, the tourist flow in the city might amount to almost 8.5 mln people, and this number will grow every year. How can the cultural capital of Russia be also made a city of strong transport culture and, therefore, a more investment-attractive metropolis? The answer to this and many other questions will be given during plenary sessions, conferences, and roundtable discussions in the framework of the forum.

One of the most important topics to be discussed at the plenary session is development of transport systems in metropolitan areas. “St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region have come a long way in terms of transport infrastructure development, including the search for public transport growth areas and ways to encourage the population to turn to it instead of their personal cars. The experience of interaction between these two entities is extremely interesting and useful for all the regions of the country,” Sergey Voronkov adds.

An exhibition of the latest road and transport developments will be an important event. It features over 50 enterprises involved in passenger transport, infrastructure, and other areas of the industry from 15 regions of Russia. The participants will see Vityaz-Leningrad, the first Russian aluminum body tram, and some radically new brand transport. The draft of a bridge across the Petrovsky fairway as part of the Western High-Speed Diameter is shown through 3D glasses, so the viewers will ‘fly over’ the future bridge, ‘drive’ along it in a car and even ‘sail’ under it in a motor boat. What else will visitors of the forum exhibitions see? Visualization of a new Smolensky Bridge in St. Petersburg, a moving mockup of an unmanned tram, a holographic model of a retro tram, and a mockup of a tram with an interactive display, a LOTOS bus driven by natural gas (the gas reserves are intended for the distance of 500 km and the transfer of 90 passengers).

This year SmartTRANSPORT and the 2nd International Forum of Transport Infrastructure have gathered together leading experts of the transport sector from all across Russia, but, unfortunately, due to restrictions imposed because of the pandemic, foreign partners from Switzerland, Czech Republic, Turkey, Israel, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and other countries haven’t been able to come. “We have 2 years ahead, and I hope the pandemic situation will have stabilized by then, so we’ll be able to see the project as it has been intended to be,” Sergey Voronkov says.

According to him, St. Petersburg has a status of an international transport hub and it’s aimed at improvement of the transport infrastructure. “A high level of competence required to resolve transport-related issues allows our city to become a point of attraction for leading experts and transport companies of the sector, to find the fastest and the most efficient solutions for our problems, to look for partners and set ourselves new important tasks,” Sergey Voronkov concluded.