Russia: According to Gudok, citing the High-Speed Directorate (DOSS) of the operator, Russian Railways (RZD) plans to introduce 60 new GoA4 trains of entirely domestic production. Together with the required infrastructure development after 2029, this will enable fully autonomous operation on the Moscow Central Circle (MCC).
According to DOSS, the current MCC fleet consists of 52 ES2G Lastochka trains built by Ural Locomotives, part of Sinara – Transport Machines, of which 44 operate in daily service. Two of these sets are GoA3 ready, with equipment developed by the NIIAS, the RZD research and technology institute. The first train (ES2G-113) has been carrying passengers since 2024 in a highly automated test mode with a driver in the cab, following several years of preparation. The project aims to reduce headways on the MCC to as little as three minutes.
The second train (ES2G-136) is not used in regular service and functions as a testbed for fully driverless operation. According to Gudok, this has allowed RZD to reach GoA4 level automation (operation without a driver in the cab) on the MCC.
However, Gudok notes that implementing driverless operation also requires the ready infrastructure, including the installation of platform-based systems to monitor passenger boarding and alighting. In addition, a unified control centre must be established. Between 2026 and 2029, RZD plans to gradually equip 139 Lastochka EMUs with GoA3-level automation for operation not only on the Moscow Railway, but also on the Oktyabrskaya, Kaliningradskaya and Sverdlovskaya railways.
Earlier this year, the winner was announced of the world’s largest tender for driverless trains to be deployed on mainline railway infrastructure. The contract for 226 fully automated sets for Copenhagen’s urban rail network was awarded to the Siemens–Stadler consortium.
