Russia: Roman Latypov, first deputy of the Head for the Russian capital’s Department of Transportation, announced the information. “We have four such vehicles now. A total of 15 LRVs are expected to operate by the end of the year,” he said.
Mr Latypov stated that the fleet of highly automated trams will be expanded. “By 2030, two thirds of the fleet will migrate to the highest grade of automation, which means 350 trams will be unmanned. We are vigorously working on the modernisation of the infrastructure, creating high-resolution maps and fine-tuning the trams,” stated the spokesperson.
The first highly automated tram, the single-section 71-911EM Lvyonok from PC Transport Systems, entered service in Moscow last September. It operates eight hours daily, according to the standard schedule. Moscow claims that such a grade of automation has been introduced on trams for the first time in the world. The vehicle has so far transported over 80,000 passengers and covered 29,000 km without any traffic violation. The tram is reported to detect objects up to 200 m away with a field of view of 360°.
The rolling stock is equipped with a GoA3 ATO system, meaning that it can operate autonomously, but a driver is present in the cab to intervene in case of an emergency. The tram’s computer vision consists of cameras, lidars and radars. In addition, the vehicle employs radio signals to communicate with part of infrastructure, including traffic lights and switches. “The AI-supported system thus knows when the green or the red light will turn on. That ensures a smoother run in comparison with driver-operated trams,” noted Mr Latypov. It was previously reported that the transition to GoA4 is expected by 2027.
