More than 1,000 transport officials and professionals from over 40 countries will meet here next week for the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE).

First held in 2013, SITCE will begin next Wednesday and is organised by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and MSI Global, the LTA's commercial arm.

Themed "Innovating Transport for Liveable Cities", the three-day event focuses on urban mobility issues in the Asia-Pacific region and will feature discussions on topics such as congestion management and sustainable transport systems.

LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong said: "More than just providing transportation infrastructure to meet commuter demand, we need to look at how transport systems can contribute to making cities better places to live, work and play, be it through improving commuter journey experiences, reliability or connectivity."

UITP secretary-general Alain Flausch said: "Asia is currently home to 17 megacities, (and this number) is expected to grow to an unprecedented 22 by 2030, creating challenges to improve mobility in densely populated cities."

The keynote speaker for the event will be Mr Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, which runs Britain's train network.

SITCE will also feature 150 local and international exhibits on urban transport technology and solutions, as well as an exhibition area highlighting Singapore's car-lite initiatives.

Also on display will be 21 projects on transport solutions for Singapore by students and engineering professionals, part of a competition launched last November by the LTA .