In 2025, Russia approved the concept of scientific and technological development of the country’s transport complex until 2035. The industry will gradually and systematically move from scattered digitalization to complex one. At the same time, the key principle of development is the reliance on domestic technological solutions and secure digital platforms, especially in the critical infrastructure segment. In this logic, V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) technology, which provides a dialogue between transport and infrastructure, will become the basic element of the future transport ecosystem.
Trend No. 1. Single digital loop and adaptive traffic management
One of the main trends in 2026 is the transition from local automation of individual objects to the formation of a single digital transport control loop. This architecture combines data from CCTV cameras, traffic lights, public transport security systems and various detectors installed on the elements of the transport infrastructure and operating on the basis of domestic solutions. In Moscow, a program for digitalizing payment for travel in transport is already being implemented: a total transition to convenient payment via SBP and biometrics, which speeds up the passage of passengers through turnstiles, their boarding and disembarking, especially during rush hours.
A single digital system allows to move from “reactive” control to “proactive” one: it monitors the situation on the roads and optimizes traffic. In St. Petersburg, about 15% of traffic lights are already working in adaptive mode, changing the phases of signals depending on the actual density of the flow of cars and pedestrians. This reduces traffic jams and makes intersections safer.
Trend No. 2. AI at the center of safety and traffic optimization
AI now helps not only process and analyze data, AI actively manages and monitors security. For example, at the Central Ring Road, neurotechnologies notice accidents, standing cars, lost cargo and other problems. Information about incidents comes to emergency services in a few minutes.
AI also helps optimize logistics processes. Some large operators (for example, X5 Logistics and Business Lines) were able to reduce the delivery time of goods by about 12%, as well as reduce idle runs – up to 20%. And all this thanks to the “smart” routes.
Trend No. 3. Smart urban transport and new traffic standards
Today, urban transport is increasingly becoming a data source for more accurate and safer traffic management. So, in St. Petersburg, 330 trams are already equipped with driver assistance and video surveillance systems. These solutions make it possible to reduce the influence of the human factor, increase safety and collect an array of information about the operation of rolling stock.
At the next level, this data is used already outside a specific vehicle, in urban mobility management systems. AI is used to analyze passenger traffic, optimize schedules and redistribute transport, helping prevent crowds at stops.
In the coming year, this approach will scale to other types of urban transport, forming uniform requirements for digital intelligent systems and principles of mobility management in cities.
Trend No. 4. Barrier-free highways and automation of paid infrastructure
We note another direction of digital transformation – the development of expressways. On the Central Ring Road and the M-12 highway, the Free Flow system is being introduced, allowing to pass through payment points without stopping. This reduces accidents and reduces passenger queues. Everything goes to the fact that in 2026 this format will become the generally accepted standard for toll roads.
Free Flow systems are also built on the basis of domestic AI algorithms and software solutions, which makes it possible to scale them without dependence on foreign suppliers.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that a safe ecosystem is already being formed today, where:
- Data from all sources are aggregated on single platforms. Intelligent transport systems are built as an ecosystem of interconnected solutions, united on the basis of a single digital platform. It receives data from traffic detectors, adaptive traffic lights, violation recording systems, parking meters, weather stations, information boards and GPS/GLONASS navigation systems. All this allows to form a holistic picture of the road situation in real time.
- Algorithms control flows and predict scenarios. Based on the collected data, intelligent algorithms analyze the current road traffic situation and automatically correct traffic parameters. So, traffic signals change depending on the density of flows, increasing the throughput of intersections and reducing the risk of congestion. Algorithms are also used to optimize public transport routes and promptly inform drivers and passengers about the situation on the road. Such technical implementations allow only to respond to what is happening, but also to reduce the likelihood of overloads and emergencies in advance.
- ITS is actively implemented on Russian high-speed toll roads and federal highways. The ecosystem of “smart roads” includes electronic means of non-stop fare payment, automated systems for fixing violations and navigation based on GLONASS. The use of such solutions reduces operating costs, increases the reliability of transport systems and reduces dependence on external factors.
- A person is in the center of the urban ecosystem, getting maximum speed in passenger transport, improving comfort and quality of services. Indeed, today, due to adaptive traffic control, the length of road congestion and travel time are reduced.
All these and other projects lead to the creation of a fundamentally new technological and urban environment, where transport is not a service, but an organic part of the digital space for life.
By Mikhail Kazakov, General Director of SC TTM LLC, ITELMA Group of Companies