Key news and events of the unmanned rolling stock market.
The Russian government has opted to implement an innovative legal framework for the operation of unmanned trams in Moscow and St Petersburg over the next three years. According to the Ministry of Economical Development, the first phase will encompass a minimum total run of 3,000 km or 150 hours. The automated trams have been delivered to St Petersburg since 2022, while the 71-911EMs equipped with a computer vision have been tested in the Russian capital since this spring.
Siemens Mobility is now conducting tests of an automated obstacle detection system in a real-world urban rail environment. The first EMUs to be evaluated are the 484s operating on the Berlin S-Bahn. The trains are equipped with lidars and optical and infra-red cameras. The solution is anticipated to reduce the number of accidents, improve on-time performance, and enable the transition to unmanned operation in a depot in the future. In another project, DB has also tested a comparable system on similar trains operated in Hamburg between 2022 and 2023.
Sensors of the automated obstacle detection system operated in Berlin. Source: Siemens Mobility
Škoda Group’s unmanned operation system for trams has debuted on a Smart Artic X34 tram in Tampere, Finland. The ATO and obstacle detection equipment enabled the vehicle to showcase several fully-automated scenarios, with tasks uploaded via the digital environment Smart Depot. The tested technology is designed for utilising in depots.
Testing of the safety ATO system of the Smart Artic X34 tram in Tampere. Source: Škoda Group
Toshiba has completed testing of the GoA2.5 system for trains in collaboration with the operator Nagano Electric Railway. In a world first, this high automation level requires no lineside equipment for data transmission, enabling operation by an attendant who is not a qualified driver. The system determines the position of the train using a combination of GNSS satellite location data, inertial sensors, and an odometer. The tests demonstrated that the system is capable of detecting a human presence with greater precision than a driver can do in low-light conditions. Toshiba plans to offer a system with an even higher automation grade, the GoA3.
Testing of the computer vision system of the Tatra T3D-M tram. Source: CVAG
A computer vision system on the Tatra T3D-M is undergoing testing in Chemnitz, Germany. The system is expected to demonstrate precise location accuracy, effective obstacle recognition, reliable detection of traffic signals and arrow positions, while continuously accumulating data to enhance its performance. The technology is being developed as part of the SmarTram research project, which was initiated by the local operator CVAG in 2022 with the goal of launching unmanned vehicles. Similar projects are being implemented around the world.
