RUSSIA: Moskva Metro has begun testing a driverless train on the Big Circle Line.
The trainset is initially operating without passengers and with an operator in the cabin to monitor all systems and ensure safe operation.
The software for driverless operation was developed by the city government’s Centre for Research & Development of Autonomous Transport. The initial phase of testing is focusing on automatic acceleration, braking, speed control and precise stopping, the detection of people and foreign objects on the tracks, machine vision technologies to identify anomalies and emergency situations and real-time interaction with the dispatch centre.
‘The Moskva-2024 train is 97% composed of Russian-made components’, said Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor for Transport & Industry, on January 19. ‘The testing will be conducted in stages to ensure absolute safety for passengers. We plan that by the end of 2026, the first driverless train will operate on the line according to the timetable, alongside other trains and adhering to Moskva’s intervals — though still without passengers.’
The first passengers are expected to be carried in 2027, with the launch of the first fully autonomous metro line envisaged by 2030.
