Russian Railways launched first automated "Lastochka" to carry passengers on Moscow Central Circle

For the first time in the history of Russian rail transport, Russian Railways has launched an electric train that will transport passengers in automatic mode – what is officially called Automatic Train Operation (ATO). The specially equipped Lastochka trains will run along the Moscow Central Circle. The automation takes over the entire control of the train, independently assesses the situation with the help of neural networks, makes decisions, and carries out the necessary actions.

At the same time, however, the driver remains in the cabin to monitor, open and close the doors when passengers are boarding and disembarking, but can take control into his own hands at any time, so a double safety control system is in operation. According to the standard international classification, the Lastochka electric train utilises the third of the four degrees of ATO.

Russian Railways has been working on creating a system for unmanned train services for several years and carried out a considerable amount of work before launching the train. The Company took into account all the possible situations that could occur in order to ensure maximum passenger safety and ran through dozens of different emergency scenarios. The autopilot and smart vision system react to situations before the driver can. The operation of all the systems of the smart electric train has been thoroughly tested and the corresponding certificates duly received.

All the solutions that Russian Railways has developed are completely domestic and have been implemented in cooperation with Russian industry institutes, leading universities and manufacturers, including intelligent technical vision, complex neural networks, digital communication technologies. A number have been implemented for the first time in international practice.

Russian Railways plans to complete the testing of on-board systems and technical vision at the fourth, highest, level of automation by mid-2025. The train can then be controlled without the need for a driver in the cabin.