UTSG 2025: Planes, trains and automobiles (and a ferry)

The 57th Universities’ Transport Studies Group (UTSG) Annual Conference, held at University College Dublin, saw Newcastle University researchers David Alvarez Castro, Matt Burke, and Yimeng Liu represent the DARe Hub. The three-day event provided a wide range of sessions on topics relevant to DARe’s research, such as resilience, electrification, modelling, and sustainability.

With sustainability in mind, David and Yimeng opted to travel to the conference by land and sea, taking the train to Holyhead Port and crossing the Irish Sea by ferry. This commitment to sustainability was matched by the ferry operator, with posters onboard providing encouraging examples of how decarbonisation and sustainability are being embedded across the service. For example, reducing radiant heat on board by 80% has reduced energy consumption needed for cooling, and over 750 solar panels have been installed across Holyhead Port.

David explains the reasoning behind the decision to take the ferry: “My experience was completed by travelling using the modes of transport with the lowest possible GHG emissions. Following DARe colleague Dr Alistair Ford’s advice and example, planes were avoided by taking trains, ferries, and public buses to get to the conference venue and home again. Although both trips lasted longer than by plane (something known beforehand), I managed to minimise my environmental impact and to continue my work on papers and future simulation scenarios, while enjoying the changing views between York and Dublin.” 

Once the conference was underway Yimeng was first up to represent DARe, presenting research comparing adaptation measures for reducing urban pluvial flooding impacts on transportation.

Yimeng said: “I presented my work on the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Adaptation Measures for Reducing Urban Pluvial Flooding Impacts on Transportation Networks, which sparked thoughtful questions from the audience. Discussions centred around how different types of adaptation, from green infrastructure and network reinforcement to early warning, could be systematically evaluated not just in terms of financial cost, but also societal benefit.  

Beyond my own session, I found the panel on aviation decarbonisation especially engaging. It was encouraging to see tangible progress toward reducing emissions in one of the most carbon-intensive sectors, including the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels, electric propulsion trials, and airport-level energy optimisation. While challenges remain, it was clear that innovation in this field is accelerating.” 

Matt chaired the conference session on Freight and Logistics, presenting analysis of the stakeholder focus groups from the Co-creation Workshop jointly organised by DARe, TransiT, and ENSIGN in Edinburgh at the end of last year, which explored resilient freight electromobility.

Matt reflects on his time in Dublin: “UTSG 2025 was a memorable experience for me as it was the first time I chaired a session at a conference. Leading the Freight and Logistics session gave me the chance to facilitate discussions on the twin challenges of decarbonisation and resilience. Presenting the findings from the workshop on resilient freight electromobility allowed me to highlight to the predominantly academic audience the importance of collaboration between industry, policymakers, and researchers. 

Reflecting on the wider conference, it was noticeable that resilience was a prominent theme throughout the event, not just for freight, but across transport systems more broadly. Embedding resilience alongside sustainability is essential for future-proofing transport in the face of climate-related disruption risks. 

Although I’ve visited Dublin many times, I really enjoyed exploring some new parts of the city, including the University College Dublin campus and the attractive coastal town of Dun Laoghaire, which provided a fantastic setting for the gala dinner.” 

On the second day, David presented the most recent outputs from the DARe agent-based modelling (AgBM) framework that simulate the impacts of extreme rainfall events, with an example case scenario impacting the Tyne and Wear region.

David summarises his experience: “UTSG Annual Conference was a great opportunity to share with new and old colleagues from different academic levels how we use AgBMs to simulate the impact of extreme rainfall events on transport demand (i.e., the people). This is a fundamental aspect to achieve a resilient society, as it is not only infrastructure that must be prepared for current and future extreme events.  

It was nice to present this research in front of a friendly audience, where interesting questions about the model framework development, the simulation of different adaptation strategies (e.g., improvements to the network and early warning), the importance of interrogating data at the individual level (i.e., person) for an equitable perspective, and the possibility of simulating other extreme events (e.g., heatwaves, wind storms) were raised. Very valuable feedback to continue improving our research. 

As an attendee, I really enjoyed presentations focused on transport modelling, the use of active travel modes by different groups in society, the analysis of transport equity and inclusion, and different strategies to increase the use of public modes. All of them are key components to achieve a sustainable and resilient future transport demand.” 

DARe’s impact on this years’ UTSG conference was extended through one of its Flex Fund projects, with Dr Nima Dadashzadeh of the University of Huddersfield presenting the topic of transport resilience and weather-related disruptions.  

Overall, the University College Dublin campus provided an excellent venue to host the event, as did the Royal Marine Hotel that put on the gala dinner in Dun Laoghaire. The closing session saw Prof. Phil Goodwin, Emeritus Professor of Transport Policy at University College London, join Newcastle University’s Prof. Margaret Bell in the UTSG ‘Hall of Fame’ Pantheon. The University of Surrey has taken on the mantle to host the 2026 UTSG conference which will provide another great opportunity to share DARe’s work with peers 12 months on.