Economies Tackle New Risks as Transport Systems Grow More Connected
Convening in Dalian last week, the APEC Transportation Working Group accelerated efforts to integrate new digital innovations into rail, road, air and sea transport, with a focus on safer and more seamless travel.
“As transport systems become more connected, a single point of failure, a cyberattack, a data gap, a technical fault, can now disrupt an entire journey rather than one part of it causing congestion, delayed goods and physical hazards," said Baesung Kim, Lead Shepherd of the Transportation Working Group.
"That is why our economies need a better understanding of the risks, built through collective research on how to safely adopt new transport technology."
Economies described how artificial intelligence (AI) in road transport including airports’ driverless cargo systems to AI-enabled traffic cameras that detect fires, falls, obstacles and accidents for faster emergency response, is now widely adopted, improving convenience and safety.
With railway lines running through some of the region's most difficult terrain, discussions also highlighted the use of drones and generative AI to inspect track conditions, bridges and landslide risk, quickly spotting damage without putting workers in harm's way.
As discussions turned to sea travel, policymakers noted that maritime shipping forms the backbone of the region's trade, moving more than 80 percent of its goods. Economies said digital platforms are reshaping logistics by allowing ports and shipping lines share data in real time, helping cut delays, lower costs and get goods to consumers faster.
Delegates also shared new innovations for air travel such as electric aircraft that take off and land vertically without a runway that could open new air routes to smaller cities and communities without major airport, potentially expanding access to regional travel.
With increased integration and adoption of AI and data across modes of transport, discussions stressed how these technologies bring shared risks and lessons on cybersecurity, data privacy, infrastructure and energy.
Experts warned with such connectedness, safe and reliable technologies must be monitored with interoperable standards to prevent disruptions that may cause problems across whole supply chains.
To address these cross-cutting challenges, APEC economies launched the new Expert Group on Transportation Research (EGTR), bringing together expertise across rail, road, air and sea transport.
The group will examine shared challenges and emerging trends, while translating research into practical pilot projects that can be tested and applied across the region.
"APEC already has a strong knowledge base in transportation. The real question is how we connect that expertise across economies and modes, so good ideas developed in one can be adapted and used in another, strengthening the connection of our region’s trade and people," said Ngyuyen Thi Phuong Hien, Chair of the expert group.
Following this discussion, transportation ministers from across APEC will convene in Beijing on 21-22 September to address the challenge of ensuring that transport systems are interconnected while ensuring its safety and accessibility.