In 2023, Barcelona will host the Global Public Transport Summit, the world's leading event in public transport. This congress and fair are organized by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), an organization created in 1885 that brings together public transportation companies from around the world, chaired since 2017 by the General Director of Catalan Government Railways (FGC), Pere Calvet.

The competitiveness of Barcelona as a city, its vast experience in organizing major events, as well as its world-leading public transport system and urban development policies were determining factors for the selection. The presidencies of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), Ricard Font and Rosa Alarcón  have emphasized that "holding the Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona will be an excellent opportunity for Barcelona and Catalonia to show the world their excellence and competitiveness in public transportation and development of an inclusive and sustainable mobility system”.

The organization of the event will be run by the Catalan public transportation companies’ FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) and TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona), with the support of Renfe, Fira de Barcelona and Barcelona Convention Bureau.