Germany: The software kit has been designed to increase the level of automation in the maintenance of light rail systems to improve the reliability, safety and economic efficiency of their operation.
Smart Depot allows trams to operate unmanned in depots. The ecosystem has been tested in Tampere, Finland, since July. The Smart Artic X34, equipped with the ATO and obstacle detection equipment, including cameras and lidars, performs several fully automated scenarios, leaving an operator only to set tasks in an application.
Presentation of Smart Depot ecosystem. Source: Škoda Group
The Berlin show witnessed reaching an agreement on these trams between Škoda Group and the city operator TRO. With the new cars to be added to the vehicles already in service, there will be 11 four-car trams, which were previously three-car trams, capable of carrying 345 instead of 264 passengers. The basic 28 Smart Artic X34 trams were ordered in 2017 and 2022, of which 21 are currently in service.
