Grand Challenges in Future Transportation

Transportation systems worldwide are undergoing rapid, simultaneous transformation: electrification and decarbonization, automation and connectivity, the rise of shared and multimodal mobility, aging infrastructure under growing demand, and the increasing frequency of climate driven disruption. Each of these shifts brings both opportunity and risk, and no single discipline (engineering, planning, data science, policy, or behavioral science) can address them in isolation.This Research Topic invites the Specialty Chief Editors of Frontiers in Future Transportation to set out the Grand Challenges facing their respective specialties. Each Specialty Grand Challenge article offers a critical, forward looking assessment of where the field stands today, the fundamental problems that remain unresolved, and the research directions most likely to move the specialty forward over the next decade.These articles will serve as a reference point for the journal’s editorial community and the wider field, framing the questions that matter most and helping researchers, funders, and policymakers prioritize where effort and investment should go next.Each contributing Chief Editor paper will address, within the scope of their specialty:- Unresolved scientific and technical problems that limit progress in the field, including gaps in current modelling, data, methods, or technology.- Systemic and structural barriers, such as fragmented data ecosystems, siloed research communities, regulatory lag, or lack of standardization, that slow translation of research into practice.- Emerging risks and disruptions, including climate volatility, cybersecurity threats, aging infrastructure, and the societal and safety implications of automation and AI driven systems.- Equity, accessibility, and sustainability challenges in how transportation systems are planned, modelled, and operated.- Cross cutting and interdisciplinary opportunities, where advances in modelling, simulation, optimization, sensing, or digital twins could unlock progress across multiple transportation modes (road, rail, aviation, maritime, and multimodal networks).- A forward looking research agenda: the specific questions, methods, or breakthroughs the author sees as priorities for the next five to ten years.Consistent with the Specialty Grand Challenge format, we are exclusively seeking opinion led, vision setting articles from the journal’s Chief Editors, each speaking with the authority of their editorial role about the future of their specialty.Together, these contributions provide a coherent, journal wide statement of purpose, defining what “future transportation” research must solve, and why it matters, for the decade ahead.Note on scope and submissions: as this Research Topic is restricted to invited Specialty Chief Editors, uninvited submissions will not be considered for publication. Topic editors: Mehrdad Dianati Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84562/grand-challenges-in-future-transportation