Russia: Trams with a high grade of automation will be tested on several routes, according to Interfax information agency.
Moscow Deputy Mayor for Transport Maxim Liksutov announced this during a lecture for Moscow students on the capital’s development until 2030.
“This year, we plan to launch the unmanned tram on several routes. This is expected in the second half of the year. The unmanned tram is now being trained in a depot to operate without a driver. Of course, there will be a specialist sitting [in the driver’s cab] to monitor the tram’s operation, but the tram will be self-driving”, Liksutov said.
According to Maxim Liksutov, Moscow’s tram fleet will eventually be fully replaced by unmanned vehicles. He also stated that driverless metro trains will be introduced for commercial service in the next stage of urban transport development, expected to happen “after 2030”.
Moscow has been preparing for the introduction of highly automated trams for several years. In 2019, they tested the technology by Cognitive Technologies on trams built by PC Transport Systems, both of which are Russian companies. In 2021, Maxim Liksutov reported that the unmanned tram project is being implemented in collaboration with Yandex and could become commercially operational within a decade. The 2020 tenders for significant tram deliveries to Moscow required the rolling stock to have place to be equipped for unmanned operation.
