Transport is at the heart of globalisation, indeed the term would be meaningless without the ability to move goods and people around the planet. The opportunities for individuals and businesses to benefit from globalisation are increased by efficient, cost-effective transport networks. A competitive, responsive, well-organised transport sector facilitates trade, but creating the conditions for this poses policy challenges that must be tackled if transport is to contribute fully to globalisation.

This was the main theme of the 17th ITF/OECD Symposium. The discussions were organised around five sub-themes, drawing on 17 introductory reports covering fields ranging from “data and trends” to issues relating to “transport policy and regional integration”.

Over 300 experts participated in the Symposium and contributed to the discussions. This publication includes all of the introductory reports and a summary of these discussions.

This report will provide readers with recent thinking on the issue of globalisation and transport. It is required reading for anyone interested in understanding contemporary trends in the transport sector