On 30-31 March 2026, UIC participated in the 12th Transport Statistics Meeting organised by the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
This annual ITF meeting brought together experts from OECD member countries, along with representatives of international organisations. Within an increasingly streamlined and coordinated international framework, it aims to identify common challenges and develop solutions related to transport statistics.
This year, the main focus was on transport resilience, in line with the theme of the ITF 2026 Summit on “Funding Resilient Transport”. The first session explored how transport statistics and data can be used to measure resilience, with national case studies being presented for Italy and Spain. In addition, the ITF presented its project on Enhancing the Connectivity, Sustainability, and Resilience of Regional Freight Transport in Central Asia, highlighting that freight transport resilience can be quantitatively assessed through indicators such as capacity, modal split, network redundancy, and modal substitution.
During this session, UIC delivered a presentation on a data-driven approach to measuring railway resilience, based on traffic performance data from a wide range of railway companies worldwide. The methodology enabled a set of resilience indicators derived from resilience curves, including shock magnitude, recovery duration, and loss area, to be developed. The COVID-19 disruption was used as a case study to illustrate resilience dynamics.
The second session focused on how transport data and statistics can support the prioritisation and funding of resilient infrastructure. The World Bank presented its assessment approaches and tools to evaluate transport network vulnerability, assess climate impacts on performance, estimate economic losses from disruptions, and compare adaptation options using cost-benefit analysis. This was followed by a presentation on the use of big data to support investment decisions in resilient transport infrastructure, illustrated by a case study from Brazil, and a brainstorming session on engaging statistical agencies in the governance of resilient transport.
Additional topics included the impact of artificial intelligence on official transport statistics and how national statistical institutes can maintain their relevance and credibility. Participants also presented and discussed the challenges and innovation in transport data collection and measurement, as well as opportunities to leverage data from other sectors such as energy, emissions, and tourism.
Further information on the statistics meeting will soon be available on the ITF website.
