The practical problems associated with transportation systems engineering in many developing countries are different and complex. Efforts are being made by academicians, government agencies, and industry to tackle the various transportation engineering problems by identifying implementable solutions for these challenges, as per prevailing conditions. In this direction, TPMDC 2026 brings an ideal platform for researchers, practitioners, and agencies to share their experience and practical solutions to various transportation engineering problems. This conference also invites industry extended abstracts related to various themes under the umbrella of transportation systems engineering.

The TPMDC 2026 conference is being organized by the Transportation Systems Engineering (TSE) Group of the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. The TSE group started in 1988 and currently has ten (10) faculty members, and more than fifty (50) graduate students, working in various transportation thematic areas. TPMDC conference started in the year 1996 and is being conducted biennially at IIT Bombay. The 16th version of TPMDC is being held during December 9-11, 2026 in physical mode at IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India.

Submissions are invited on the broad areas covering the following themes:

Track I: Transport Modes: General (Highways, Railways, Airways and Waterways)
This theme includes general aspects of all transport modes including air transport, rail-based transport, inland and international waterways, and non-motorized transport modes. The theme covers research on various topics such as air traffic control and management; port, harbor, and fleeting services; railway system planning, design, operation, and management; freight transportation and operations using rail, water, and air modes. Research on infrastructure planning and geometric design aspects of transportation projects are also included in this theme.

Track II: Pavement Systems Engineering
This theme will focus on all aspects of material characterisation, analysis, design, construction, evaluation, and maintenance of pavement structures. These aspects include broad areas of characterization of conventional and innovative pavement materials; pavement material modelling; pavement recycling; stabilization of pavement layers; analysis and design of bituminous, concrete, composite, and other kinds of pavements; life cycle cost analysis; pavement maintenance and management systems; pavement drainage; airport pavements and railway tracks.

Track III: Transportation Planning, Policy and Economics
This theme includes research on theoretical and empirical aspects of travel demand and behavioral modelling and forecasting, network design for passenger and freight transport, planning of urban transport systems, logistics planning, and Infrastructure and logistics competitiveness of India. The theme covers several aspects of transportation economics such as public transport pricing, user impact of transport projects, cost benefit analysis and project evaluation, and transport as a means for economic development. The theme also includes research on transport policy analysis, and social equity in transport.

Track IV: Traffic Management, Operations, and Safety
This theme deals with traffic aspects of highways and urban roads such as traffic flow theory and modelling, traffic control and management, transport network analysis, operations and management of passenger and freight traffic, ICT for traffic systems. This theme also includes the various aspects of transport safety such as driver and infrastructural factors, externalities and policies for transport safety aspects, vulnerable road user safety, safety in public transit, and other modes of transport. The theme also covers topic on operations and management of public transport systems.

Track V: Emerging Transportation Technologies
This theme focuses on all aspects of technological advances in transportation systems. The topics broadly include battery and electric operated vehicles, connected and autonomous vehicles; internet of things, V2X communication, and intelligent transportation systems, competitiveness in transportation systems; technology enabled models for mobility services of passenger and freight transport; technology enabled multi-modal integration; robotics, artificial intelligence, human-machine interfaces, computer vision, image processing, and augmented reality in transportation; big data analytics for transportation.

Track VI: Sustainable Mobility in Transportation
This theme includes research related to environmental impact assessment of transport projects and mitigation strategies; various interactions between transport, health and associated policies; emissions from vehicles and other transport infrastructure; policies and planning for sustainability in transport systems; renewable energy applications in transport sector; pollution and environmental issues of all transport modes; strategies, technological interventions, policies and management of sustainable and socially inclusive transport systems and competitiveness.

Note: Papers meeting the broad areas of the tracks may also be considered.
 

The general submission guidelines are as follows:

• A word template for paper submission can be found here.
• The full-length paper in the prescribed format should not exceed 15 pages. This includes figures, tables, and references. There are no restrictions on the no. of tables and figures in the manuscript.
• Figures should be clearly visible (at least 300 dpi).
• Authors must adhere to the prescribed format with respect to font size, line spacing, indentation, and table design.
• Authors can use the given template and submit their full paper on the paper submission portal of TPMDC 2026.
   

The accepted papers will be invited to present at the TPMDC conference in December 2026. Further, the accepted papers would be considered for publication in the conference proceeding. A few selected papers may be considered for publication in a special issue, as per journal specific requirements.

For any other queries, please visit:

https://www.civil.iitb.ac.in/tpmdc/GuidelinesforPaper.php

or contact us at:

tpmdc@civil.iitb.ac.in