RIDE ON! TOP 2024 TRANSPORTATION AND RAILWAY TRENDS HIT THE ROAD

Transportation circa 2024 will feature smarter systems, electrification and an all-out push towards autonomy across roads, rails and skies. Countries and companies will invest billions to build infrastructure, vehicles and supply chains to modernize mobility, though headwinds like regulations and cyber security may slow the pace.

The rise of smart cities will accelerate, with over 500 globally by 2025. Transportation plays a central role in smart city development, with integrated payment systems, sensors to monitor usage and conditions, and data analytics to model flows. Cities will also invest in IoT platforms to coordinate responses, manage traffic,communicate service changes and more in real-time.

Urban air mobility using electric vertical takeoff and landing aircrafts will also expand. Air taxis and delivery drones will still be piloted in most areas, but enabling infrastructure like vertiports and air traffic control integrations will develop quickly thanks to high investment potential. Industry will target cargo services first given fewer barriers.

Autonomous trucks will also hit the road in regional pilots by mid-decade. Current testing corridors will extend services to additional major freight routes and depots. But driver shortages and edge case challenges on complex urban or highway terrain will limit full unmanned automation. Railroad adoption may actually come first with identified benefit use cases around yard automation and remote-controlled trains.

EVs will comprise over 25% of new vehicle sales globally thanks to model diversity and rising cost-competitiveness. Charging standardization and fast charging station buildouts will alleviate range anxiety in wealthy nations, but grid capacity issues could slow uptake in developing areas. Hydrogen pilots will also launch but await cost breakthroughs at commercial scale.

The next decade could witness revolutionary mobility if core enabling technologies mature quickly enough even as societies decide acceptable use parameters around privacy, job loss and accessibility. By 2024, many pioneering deployments will provide early insight into this future across roads, skies, and rails.